We are a little over 24 hours away from the 2025 NBA trade deadline, and plenty has happened already. Of course, the biggest story of the week came on Saturday evening when the Los Angeles Lakers stunned the world by trading for Luka Doncic, fleecing the Dallas Mavericks in the process. After this deal, the Lakers are now unbelievably set up for the next decade, and we may never know the real reason the Mavericks made this trade.
Other deals have been trickling in over the last several days, and while none of them are as notable as the Luka trade, some of them will have ramifications on the Lakers' plan going forward, both for the current season and in years to come. The De'Aaron Fox to San Antonio trade significantly levels up the Spurs, making them a prime rival for the Lakers going forward yet again.
Then on Wednesday morning, the Milwaukee Bucks announced they were trading veteran wing Khris Middleton to the Washington Wizards in exchange for Kyle Kuzma. The full details of the trade are as follows: Kyle Kuzma, Patrick Baldwin Jr. and a 2025 second-round pick to the Bucks, Khris Middleton, AJ Johnson and a 2028 first-round pick swap to the Wizards.
Kuzma likely doesn't increase Milwaukee's chance to win title this year
Now you might ask, how does two Eastern Conference teams trading with each other in any way affect the Lakers' odds of winning a championship? Simple. By the younger Kuzma taking over for Middleton in Milwaukee, it is probably less likely the Bucks win a championship this year.
You might say that Middleton was struggling, and that getting him out of Milwaukee would be addition by subtraction. Perhaps that could end up being true, but the Bucks are still going to at least have to adjust to life with Kuzma. Playing with Giannis Antetokoumpo could make life easier for him, but it is questionable whether chemistry can be built overnight.
With Milwaukee now having to make adjustments, it feels even less likely that they will come out of the Eastern Conference in the playoffs this year. It is not likely they were going to beat out the Boston Celtics or Cleveland Cavaliers anyway, but now this adds another wrinkle to the Bucks' championship formula.
The Lakers now have Luka Doncic on their roster. If a team like Milwaukee is still trying to figure things out headed into the playoffs, that is one less thing for LA to worry about.