NBA rumors: Bucks trade buzz louder around Kyle Kuzma than Jimmy Butler
Today at 01:40 PM
The Milwaukee Bucks remain linked to Jimmy Butler as the February 6 NBA Trade deadline creeps closer. But Kyle Kuzma might be the player more likely to end up in Milwaukee.
The Bucks may have redirected their attention to the Washington Wizards forward, NBA insider Marc Stein reported on Monday.
“There has been little fresh chatter on Milwaukee’s pursuit of Butler in recent days,” he wrote. “Sources with knowledge of the situation have relayed that the Bucks have more recently had conversations about pursuing Washington’s Kyle Kuzma.”
Milwaukee was known to have interest in Kuzma as early as two months ago, but salary concerns would make the deal difficult. As ClutchPoints’ Ben Siegel pointed out on December 13, “it would be almost impossible” for the Bucks to swing a trade for him due to second-apron restrictions.
But “almost impossible” is not the same as “impossible.” Just last week, ESPN’s Bobby Marks suggested a trade that would send Kuzma to the Bucks for Khris Middleton and a future first-round pick.
How a Kyle Kuzma trade would work for the Bucks and Wizards
A Middleton-for-Kuzma trade would be one way to make the money work on both sides.
“There is a $9 million difference in salary, but this trade works because of the Kuzma trade bonus. The Wizards add another first-round pick and get financial relief in 2026-27,” Marks wrote.
That first-round pick, in Marks’ proposal, is in 2029, presumably out of the Bucks’ current contention window.
“The Wizards would owe Kuzma a $7.5 million bonus if he was traded Feb. 6,” he continued. “The bonus would be spread evenly over his salary this season and the next two years. Kuzma also has $4.2 million in unlikely bonuses that count toward the apron.”
Middleton’s contract includes a player option for next year worth $34 million that, as of now, the Bucks are responsible for. Though the Wizards are miles away from contention, they could be willing to take that on as opposed to riding with Kuzma, whose deal goes a year longer. As it stands, they owe him more than $40 million over the next two years and the trade market around him has cooled.
Juxtapose Kuzma’s numbers with Butler, who carries a $52.4 million cap hit next year if he elects to exercise his player option. He will be an unrestricted free agent after next season.
The post NBA rumors: Bucks trade buzz louder around Kyle Kuzma than Jimmy Butler appeared first on ClutchPoints.
