The Milwaukee Bucks are shaking up the supporting cast around Giannis Antetokounmpo.
The Bucks agreed to trade veteran forward Khris Middleton to the Washington Wizards in a package that brings back forward Kyle Kuzma, according to ESPN.
Washington also receives a pick swap and guard AJ Johnson in the deal, while forward Patrick Baldwin Jr. and second-round draft compensation will go back to Milwaukee.
In Kuzma, the Bucks add another scorer to complement Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard. Kuzma, 29, scored 15.2 points per game with the NBA-worst Wizards this season but averaged more than 21 points per game in both of the previous two.
The trade marks the end of an era in Milwaukee, where Middleton spent the last 11 seasons, earned three All-Star selections and was one of the central players on the Bucks team that won the NBA Finals in 2021.
Middleton, 33, missed the first 21 games of this season after undergoing offseason ankle surgeries. His 12.6 points and 3.7 rebounds per game are his lowest marks since 2013-14, though he is shooting 51.2% from the field and 40.7% from 3-point range.
Originally a second-round pick by Detroit, Middleton has not played more than 55 games in a season since 2021-22.
The Bucks rebounded from a 2-8 start to the season with wins in 24 of their next 34 games. They began Wednesday with a 26-22 record, good for the fifth in the Eastern Conference.
But Milwaukee entered Wednesday night’s game in Charlotte as losers of four games in a row and five of their last six.
Middleton and Kuzma are the latest big names to change teams before Thursday’s NBA trade deadline.
Over the weekend, the Los Angeles Lakers acquired Luka Doncic from the Dallas Mavericks for a package that included Anthony Davis in a stunning blockbuster that shook the sports world.
The San Antonio Spurs then acquired All-Star point guard De’Aaron Fox from the Sacramento Kings, giving Victor Wembanyama a new running mate. That three-team trade also involved the Chicago Bulls, who sent Zach LaVine to Sacramento.