Khris Middleton-Kyle Kuzma Trade Causes Big Shift in Bucks Latest Championship Odds

The Milwaukee Bucks are officially in on NBA trade season.

On Wednesday, it was reported that the Bucks are trading longtime franchise star Khris Middleton to the Washington Wizards in a deal that brings Kyle Kuzma to the Bucks. AJ Johnson ( a first-round pick by Milwaukee in the 2024 NBA Draft) and a pick swap will head to the Wizards in exchange for Kuzma, Patrick Baldwin Jr. and second-round draft pick compensation, according to ESPN's Shams Charania.

Breaking: The Milwaukee Bucks are trading Khris Middleton, AJ Johnson and a pick swap to the Washington Wizards for Kyle Kuzma, Patrick Baldwin Jr. and second-round draft compensation, sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/hCOzqqqUXE
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 5, 2025

This is a move that the Bucks believe will upgrade their roster around Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo this season, and the oddsmakers at DraftKings Sportsbook agree.

Since making the deal, the Bucks have moved from +2800 to +2500 to win the NBA Finals in the 2024-25 season. Washington, which has the worst record in the NBA, remains at +100000 to win the title and is highly unlikely to even reach the play-in tournament in the Eastern Conference.

Milwaukee has slipped recently, losing four games in a row to fall behind the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference standings. The Bucks are currently fifth in the East, and they did win the NBA Cup earlier this season.

However, Middleton, 33, had not been playing well enough for the Bucks after bilateral ankle surgery in the offseason. Middleton is averaging just 12.6 points, 3.7 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game in mainly a bench role for the Bucks.

Given his lengthy injury history, Middleton was a tough player for Milwaukee to count on -- even though he came up big in the first round of the playoffs last season.

Kuzma is also having a down year, averaging just 15.2 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game while shooting 42.0 percent from the field and just 28.1 percent from 3. The Bucks seem to be betting that Kuzma is a victim of a bad environment in Washington -- and the former NBA champ did average a career-high 22.2 points per game last season.

Following the deal, the Bucks have skyrocketed to -5000 to make the playoffs in the 2024-25 season. It'll be interesting to see how Kuzma meshes with Lillard and Antetokounmpo for the rest of the regular season.

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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