Khris Middleton spent 12 years building a legacy in Milwaukee, helping deliver the franchise’s first championship in half a century and cementing himself as one of the greatest Bucks of all time.
But on Monday, Dec. 1, he found himself on the opposite side of the floor, wearing Washington Wizards colors and lining up against the team he once led alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo.
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Khris Middleton Opens Up on the Shock of Being Traded
Now, for the first time since the stunning February trade, Middleton is opening up about what it really feels like to be moved.
Middleton’s second matchup of the season against the Bucks as a Wizard must have come with a swirl of emotions. After all, this is a player whose No. 22 is widely expected to one day hang in Milwaukee’s rafters.
But the franchise that he helped drag from mediocrity to championship glory sent him to Washington on February 5, 2025, just one day before the trade deadline.
Speaking to The Stein Line, Middleton didn’t sugarcoat the emotional toll of being traded:
“It was just a time to decompress, get my feelings out, reminisce, go through a whole bunch of thought processes and figure out what my life’s gonna be like now,” Middleton said. “When you get traded, it’s a huge confidence killer, especially if you’re not in control of it. You have to kinda talk yourself back up.”
For someone who grew into a three-time All-Star and the Bucks’ primary perimeter creator next to Antetokounmpo, the shock ran deep.
Middleton had been a trusted partner to Greek Freak and a culture-setter in the locker room. The trade ended one of the NBA’s most steady and successful partnerships.
Bucks GM Jon Horst later called the move “the hardest decision of his career,” acknowledging Middleton’s place as a franchise cornerstone and a foundational piece of the 2021 title team.
Middleton’s Legacy Is Etched in Milwaukee
Middleton’s impact on the Bucks is impossible to overstate. When he arrived, Milwaukee hadn’t won a playoff series since 2001 and was trapped in the league’s middle ground.
Over time, he became the team’s late-game closer, secondary playmaker, and versatile wing defender who delivered when it mattered most.
His 2021 playoff run remains iconic: 23.6 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 5.1 assists across 23 games, including a monster 40-point takeover in Game 4 of the Finals and clutch shots in the title-clinching Game 6. Those moments helped end the franchise’s 50-year championship drought.
But injuries began to mount. Middleton has missed more than 100 games over the past three seasons, his last All-Star appearance coming in 2022. That availability concern, combined with CBA’s financial restrictions, pushed the Bucks into an impossible corner.
Trading him to Washington brought forward Kyle Kuzma to the Bucks and placed Milwaukee under the second apron, giving the front office the financial flexibility needed to reshape the roster in the offseason.