According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, the Milwaukee Bucks have traded Khris Middleton to the Washington Wizards for Kyle Kuzma.

Official trade:

• Bucks:
• Kyle Kuzma
• Patrick Baldwin Jr.
• Second-rounder
• Wizards:
• Khris Middleton
• AJ Johnson
• Pick swap

With Milwaukee doing this deal, it drops them below the second apron and pairs Kuzma with Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard.

Kuzma turned down the chance to be traded to the Dallas Mavericks at last season’s trade deadline. He’s been vocal about the direction of Washington for the past couple of weeks.

Mavericks Prefer Kyle Kuzma Over Andrew Wiggins

When reports were coming out about Andrew Wiggins’ historically low trade value, they weren’t kidding. Add another team that isn’t jumping up and down to acquire Wiggins; as Marc Stein reports, Dallas currently has different priorities.

While Wiggins was on their list, the Mavericks prefer players like Kyle Kuzma and PJ Washington as their primary trade targets.

Stein added that both the Golden State Warriors and Dallas had not opened any trade talks surrounding Wiggins.

The Mavericks have assets to go out and get Kuzma and/or Washington; this doesn’t come as a shock because they want someone to complement both Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving.

Kyle Kuzma: We Can’t Guard A Stop Sign

Before the Washington Wizards beat the Detroit Pistons, they were on a nine-game losing streak. However, the organization went right back to their losing ways. This came at the hands of the Orlando Magic.

The Magic blew the Wizards out of the water by nineteen points when late in the fourth quarter. This, as many would expect, has increased frustration for players and others involved with the team. One of them is franchise leader Kyle Kuzma.

Following the game, Kuzma was asked how it went so sideways for them. The veteran responded with the fact that it starts with defense and that “we can’t guard a stop sign”.

“We can’t guard a stop sign,” Kuzma said. “That’s kind of really what it boils down to. We let anybody get whatever they want on us. So, until we change that, then that’s probably going to be the result.”

Washington has a 120.6 defensive rating that puts them dead last in the league’s ranked defenses among teams. With this information, it is no shock as to why the Wizards are 3-15 on the season.

Their next game is Friday against Orlando, which will be another away game.