Wizards, Bucks Exploring Trade Of Kyle Kuzma, Khris Middleton

The Washington Wizards and Milwaukee Bucks have explored a trade involving forwards Kyle Kuzma and Khris Middleton, per NBA insiders Josh Robbins and Davis Aldridge of The Athletic.Kyle Kuzma, Dallas Mavericks, Washington Wizards, NBA trade rumors

The Wizards would also be seeking draft capital in such a deal. They also are willing to move Malcolm Brogdon, Marvin Bagley III and Richaun Holmes, the report says.

Due to salary-cap constraints, the Wizards wouldn’t be able to do a straight swap of the two players and would have to send out a second player to make a deal work. Kuzma ($23.5 million cap hit; $26.5 million apron hit) and Middleton ($31.7 million cap hit; $34 million apron hit) can be difference-makers when healthy.

As of now, Milwaukee is about $6.5 million above the second apron. So acquiring a second player would keep the Bucks above that threshold. In other words, they would need to get another team involved or trade a second player to get below the second-apron line.

“This we know for certain from league sources: The Wizards hold a $12.4 million traded player exception that they got after sending Daniel Gafford to the Dallas Mavericks last year, and it expires on Feb. 10,” Robbins and Aldridge wrote. “Washington would love to use that exception to take on salary — perhaps as a facilitating team in a larger three- or four-team transaction — if the right pick, or picks, would be sent to the Wizards. A team with a traded player exception can take on salary without giving up salary.”

That said, the Wizards may have trouble trading Kuzma.

“League sources indicate that Kuzma’s trade value is at its lowest point of his Wizards tenure,” Robbins and Aldridge wrote. “This season mostly has been a struggle in large part because of injuries but also because the Wizards are devoting heavy minutes to their rookies — Carlton Carrington, Kyshawn George and Alex Sarr — and Coulibaly, in his second season.”

The NBA trade deadline is Thursday at 3 p.m. EST

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