The Milwaukee Bucks tried to trade their All-Star wing in 2023, according to another NBA All-Star who was involved in the negotiations.
Phoenix Suns guard Bradley Beal appeared on the Run Your Race podcast recently and revealed that Milwaukee attempted to trade for him before he landed in Phoenix.
According to Beal, who was a member of the Washington Wizards at the time, the Bucks wanted to send Khris Middleton to Washington to acquire Beal.
Beal now says that he was turned off by Milwaukee’s willingness to trade Middleton, an integral part of the Bucks franchise who played a crucial role in their 2021 NBA championship season.
“They were [trying to trade Khris Middleton],” Beal said. “The loyalty part in that, trading somebody who won y’all a championship the previous year and was a key piece to y’all winning the championship, it didn’t sit right with me.”
It isn’t difficult to imagine Milwaukee’s front office working on deals for Middleton, especially after seeing the Bucks trade all-world defender Jrue Holiday to the Boston Celtics for Damian Lillard. Holiday, like Middleton, played a key role in the Bucks’ title run.
Has Milwaukee gone in the wrong direction as a franchise by abandoning loyalty, defense, and team-building in the pursuit of volume scorers?
The Bucks’ recent playoff resumé provides an answer to that question.
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