Bucks News: Jon Horst Breaks Silence on Milwaukee's Recent Roster Changes

The Bucks GM spoke on the changes on the roster that were made at the trade deadline for the first time.

Jan 24, 2024; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Bucks general manager Jon Horst address the media after head coach Adrian Griffin (not pictured) was dismissed at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images | Benny Sieu-Imagn Images

The Milwaukee Bucks were expected to be one of the teams that was active at this year's NBA trade deadline. With the assets they had, they were expected to make a move to help them win now.

That's exactly what they did. The Bucks traded Khris Middleton for Kyle Kuzma in a move that was designed to help them win a title this year.

Middleton had proven that he was no longer the player he once was. He can't score or defend at the same rate he did before injuries started catching up with him.

Kuzma gives the Bucks a third scorer whom they can rely on once the playoffs get here. He is also a solid rebounder. They also traded for Kevin Porter Jr. to help at the point guard spot.

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Bucks general manager Jon Horst was in charge of making that move to bring in Kuzma and Porter and to ditch Middleton. Per Eric Nehm of The Athletic, Horst spoke Monday for the first time about that move and clarified why the Bucks made roster changes.

Talking about moving Middleton, Horst acknowledged that it was a tough decision.

Yet, Horst understands that they have a chance to win big right now. With Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard on the roster, he understands that the timeline to win a championship is now.

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Horst summed up the moves he made in a pretty succinct way.

“I just think collectively, I think we’re deeper in the spots we needed to be deeper,” Horst said. “This gave us an opportunity to diversify a little bit, to kind of put money and talent and roster spots in other places where I thought we needed help.”

Kuzma is averaging 15.2 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game this year. Kevin Porter Jr. is averaging 9.2 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 3.2 assists per game.

At present, the Bucks are 28-24 and currently the No. 5 seed in the Eastern Conference, 1.5 games behind the 29-22 Indiana Pacers and 1.5 games ahead of the 27-26 Detroit Pistons.

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