It wasn't going to be a complete surprise if NBA champion and former Texas A&M basketball star Khris Middleton was going to be traded. With the needs the Bucks have right now, he was a prime candidate for it, as a matter of fact.
With the time he's put in in Milwaukee, however, he probably thought he was going to get traded to another playoff contender. But the quote we've been hearing over the past week is as true as it gets: "it's a business."
Middleton and NBA superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo were together in Milwaukee for 12 years. They exemplified the duo that NBA fans want to see again: star players sticking other through thick and thin, with the biggest accomplishment for both players coming in 2021, when Milwaukee won their first NBA championship in 50 years.
A new era in Milwaukee is now beginning with a post-Middleton era, and new beginnings are in for Middleton as well, but probably not to as he imagined.
Bucks did Middleton dirty by trading him into NBA torture
As of yesterday, the Bucks had made the decision to ship Middleton off into the NBA hinterlands. They traded him off to the Washington Wizards for Kyle Kuzma.
Aside from the 'Greek Freak,' Middleton was one of the best Bucks players their organization ever saw. He helped lead the Bucks to an NBA title, their first in five decades.
Middleton is a three-time NBA All-Star in his career, and had an unstoppable mid-range shot that only very few could affect.
Middleton represented loyalty in the Bucks organization and deserved a chance to help a playoff team elevate to new heights. The Detroit Pistons or the Orlando Magic would've been great young teams for Middleton's presence.
The Bucks needed to get younger in order to fit Antetokounmpo and Lillard's style, and while Middleton's time was running out in Milwaukee, the Bucks could've got other guys from other contending playoff teams.
We don't know how long Middleton will stay with Washington, but it's a shame that a guy who brought so much to the Bucks organization got repaid by sending him into the gates of NBA torture.