Here’s a curious trade that we heard rumblings about recently: the rebuilding Washington Wizards and the contending Milwaukee Bucks are making a swap of shooters.
It’s obviously less simple than that, and we’ll get into it. But Khris Middleton is off to Washington, while Kyle Kuzma is now a Buck. To be honest, it’s kind of a weird deal all around, a bit of a head-scratcher on each side of it. But we’ll get into that.
So who won or lost this deal ahead of the 2025 NBA trade deadline? Let’s hand out some grades for each team involved in this one.
The trade details
Bucks get: Kyle Kuzma, Patrick Baldwin Jr. and a second-round pick
Wizards get: Khris Middleton, AJ Johnson and a pick swap
Bucks grade
Hmm. Can’t say I completely get this one.
Middleton isn’t the All-Star player he once was, averaging just 12.6 ppg this season, although he’s hit over 40 percent from three this year. And health is obviously a concern.
But Kuzma has taken quite a dive this year. He’s hit a career-low 28.1 percent from three and 42 percent from the field. He’s down from 22.2 ppg to 15.2. Bleh. He’s got over $40 million left on his deal through 2027, while Middleton has a player option for 2025-26.
This is what all this tells me: the Bucks think they can get Kuzma to rebound in a bigger way when surrounded by more talent. Will it actually happen? TBD. And they’re willing to deal a former first-rounder in Johnson to see.
It’s a risk, and they sent away a former championship winner in the process. Meh.
GRADE: C
Wizards grade
At this point, you want to grab as many draft picks and possible young players to grow as you can, and the Wizards did just that. You have to wonder if Middleton exercises his player option, but that’s secondary.
The Wizards got out from under Kuzma’s contract, will get a pick swap and Johnson was a first-rounder in 2024. That’s … something? Also how much will that pick swap be worth someday?
Again: all kinds of weird all around. But the Wizards did better than the Bucks did.
It seems Paul learned his lesson when it comes to finishing fights with those much larger than him. He still has a ways to go when it comes to starting them, however. Giannis Antetokounmpo proved as much on Friday night.
During the San Antonio Spurs’ 144-118 victory in Milwaukee, Paul had Antetokounmpo absolutely heated after a shove to the back left the Bucks’ star writhing in pain on the floor. The play was reviewed and determined to be a common foul, but it set off a back-and-forth between Paul and Giannis that carried over after the final buzzer.
Considering there were barely four minutes remaining in a game that had gotten out of hand (the Spurs were leading by 20), it’s easy to understand why Giannis was upset over the physical play.
The chirping carried over to the ensuing free throw attempts as Paul seemingly mocked Antetokounmpo’s form. Giannis then appeared to invite Paul to come see him after the game.
Giannis was serious, too. As soon as the game was over, Antetokounmpo made his way over to midcourt where lip-readers believe he shouted “I’m right here” at Paul.
Paul retreated to the locker room instead of going to chat with Giannis. Which is probably for the best. Antetokounmpo is a decade younger than Paul and nearly twice his size. There was only one way this was going to end.
After Paul’s retreat, Giannis ripped into him during media availability, per ESPN:
“People that know me, they don’t try me,” Antetokounmpo told reporters after the game. “If you try me, it’s a different side. If you try me, you’re gonna get that different side of me.”
Antetokounmpo initially said “nothing” happened, calling it “a physical play,” before adding, “I don’t know if I was tripped or I was pushed.” He elaborated when asked why he waited for Paul after the game.
“At the end of the day, I think we’re all men. We all respect one another,” Antetokounmpo said. “If words cross the line, then there’s got to be consequences. I really don’t say much. I don’t say much to start with, try to play the game the right way. If I feel like you’re putting my livelihood, my career and my body in jeopardy, in danger, enough is enough, brother. I have a family to feed, and what makes you laugh can also make you cry sometimes.”
No word on if there are any secret tunnels between locker rooms in Milwaukee, but Paul has to be feeling good the Spurs won’t face the Bucks again this season.
Former Notre Dame guard [autotag]Blake Wesley[/autotag] had the opportunity of a lifetime this past week. He traveled with the San Antonio Spurs to Paris to play two games against the Indiana Pacers. He appeared in both games, and while he failed to score in either one, he did have three assists and a steal in the first game.
Wesley also was the subject of a very prominent post we published this past week. We sat down for an interview with his parents Derrick and Leslie. Our thanks again to them for taking the time to do that.
Back in the U.S., [autotag]Pat Connaughton[/autotag], Notre Dame’s other active NBA player, got some playing time with the Milwaukee Bucks. He scored his only basket while also grabbing five rebounds and dishing out three assists Jan. 23 against the Miami Heat. He had one more rebound and two more assists Jan. 25 against the Los Angeles Clippers, bringing his weekly averages to 1.0 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists.
Here is a gallery of both players from the past week:
During the 2025 NBA All-Star Weekend festivities in San Francisco, the NBA Slam Dunk Contest will feature some young talent in the league.
Among the headliners reported so far include Stephon Castle (San Antonio Spurs), Matas Buzelis (Chicago Bulls), and Andre Jackson Jr. (Milwaukee Bucks).
Mac McClung — the two-time Slam Dunk Contest champion — will also be back to defend his title.
Castle and Buzelis were both recent lottery picks in the 2024 NBA Draft.
During his one-and-done season in the NCAA last season, Castle won a national championship at UConn. Jackson, who will compete against Jackson in the dunk contest, also won a national title at UConn. But the two were not teammates as Jackson turned pro a season prior.
Castle (25) has recorded more dunks than Buzelis (18) and Jackson (11) so far this season, per Stathead.
McClung is currently with Orlando’s G League affiliate, the Osceola Magic, where is he averaging 24 points per game.
There is a massive snow storm in the southern region of the United States, and it has had a fairly significant impact on the sports world.
The snow storm, which has allowed Louisiana hockey players to play on a frozen Bourbon Street, is causing a delay for an NBA game between the New Orleans Pelicans and Milwaukee Bucks.
Due to icy roads that have caused closures, the league has decided to play this game on a different night. There is reportedly no new date set for when the game will reschedule. The Bucks are having trouble getting out of New Orleans, per reports.
NBA has postponed Bucks-Pelicans game tonight due to a snowstorm in New Orleans.
Milwaukee is currently enjoying a four-game win streak and have one of the best records in the Eastern Conference.
New Orleans, meanwhile, has the second-worst record in the West and have struggled with injuries this season.
The two franchises made a franchise-altering transaction when the Pelicans traded Jrue Holiday to the Bucks in 2020. This helped Milwaukee secure an NBA championship in 2021.
Meanwhile, the Bucks have since used Holiday to land Damian Lillard as a counterpart for Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Read about these two players’ weeks in the Association.
Notre Dame’s two active NBA players got some playing time over the past week. Objectively though, they didn’t do anything that would cause people to turn heads.
[autotag]Pat Connaughton[/autotag] had five points, three rebounds and five assists during the Milwaukee Bucks’ Jan. 14 victory over the Sacramento Kings. He followed that up the next night with three points, a rebound and an assist to help the Bucks defeat the Orlando Magic. For the week, he averaged 4.0 points, 2.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists a game.
[autotag]Blake Wesley[/autotag] was held scoreless in his first two games of the week with the San Antonio Spurs. However, he combined for three assists in those games, which were played Jan. 13 against the Los Angeles Lakers and Jan. 17 against the Memphis Grizzlies. He finally got that elusive basket and tacked on two more assists in a Jan. 19 loss to the Miami Heat. He averaged 0.7 points and 1.7 assists a game during the week.
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One player actually did all right this week all things considered.
Notre Dame’s two NBA representatives played in three games over the past week, one after the other. So it makes sense to talk about those games chronologically.
It began Jan. 6 when [autotag]Pat Connaughton[/autotag] made a single field goal and had a rebound and assist in the Milwaukee Bucks’ victory over the Toronto Raptors. Connaughton didn’t play when the Bucks hosted [autotag]Blake Wesley[/autotag]’s San Antonio Spurs on Jan. 8, but Wesley did, collecting two rebounds in under three minutes.
Connaughton wrapped up the week during the Bucks’ Jan. 12 loss to the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. In a hair under 16 minutes, he scored eight points, grabbed five boards, and dished out two assists. That meant for the week, he averaged 5.0 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.5 assists a game.
Although there isn’t a lot to report for the two players this week, it still is more than some of what we’ve had to work with in recent weeks. Unless both can work their way back into their respective rotations, this is how it will be for the rest of the season.
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We actually have game action to talk about this week.
After a week of neither former Notre Dame player in NBA seeing game action, it finally happened again this past week. Granted, both players only saw only one game of action apiece, but it still was an improvement from the stretches they just had experienced.
[autotag]Blake Wesley[/autotag] saw action with the San Antonio Spurs for the first time in five games in a 36-point win over the Los Angeles Clippers on New Year’s Eve. In over eight-and-a-half minutes, he made his lone field-goal attempt, dished out four assists and blocked one shot.
[autotag]Pat Connaughton[/autotag] found minutes with the Milwaukee Bucks for the first time in six games Jan. 2 in a three-point loss to the Brooklyn Nets. Over nine-and-a-half minutes, he shot 1 of 3 from the field, grabbed four rebounds and had an assist, steal and block.
It’s hard to know when either player will see the court again, but this stretch at least gives us hope that it will happen sooner than later.
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Not a great week for the former Irish in the Association.
Notre Dame’s NBA representation found some team success this past week but not much in terms of individual accomplishment. That tends to happen when both players have fallen way down on their respective teams’ depth charts.
[autotag]Pat Connaughton[/autotag] won the NBA Cup when the Milwaukee Bucks defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder in the final in Las Vegas. He recorded 12 minutes in the game but no points. He did however make a 3-pointer and grab a rebound when the Bucks returned to regular games Dec. 20 against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
As minimal as Connaughton’s contributions were, that was the case even more with [autotag]Blake Wesley[/autotag]. The San Antonio Spurs played only two games over the past week, and Wesley only played in the Spurs’ Dec. 21 blowout win over the Portland Trail Blazers. He dished out one assist, and that was the extent of his positive contributions to the Spurs’ cause.
It’s a trying time for the former Irish in the NBA, and there’s no sign of that improving anytime soon.
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Good morning, winners! Welcome back to the Morning Win. Thanks so much for rocking with us today. We appreciate you.
First of all, before I completely roast these guys, let me congratulate the Milwaukee Bucks for winning the NBA Cup on Tuesday night. That’s an awesome moment. An extra $500k in pocket sounds extremely nice.
But here’s the thing. The Bucks refused to pop champagne after their victory and I cannot stop laughing about it.
The NBA meticulously planned all of this for Milwaukee, only for it to go untouched. Those bottles are collecting dust, baby. Take that plastic down. No bottles will be popped tonight — well, at least, not in the locker room. When the Bucks hit the strip last night their tune probably switched up.
The team didn’t indulge because it wanted to remain focused on the rest of the regular season. They did this at the behest of Darvin Ham, Chris Haynes reports.
Guys. DARVIN HAM.
Now, let me put some respect on that man’s name. He and Taurean Prince are the only two people in the world to go undefeated in two straight NBA Cup tournaments, after all.
But this is just objectively funny. The mere thought of Doc Rivers telling Chris Haynes that Ham told him the Bucks shouldn’t pop champagne, so the Bucks decided not to, is sending me to the moon.
We’re talking about the same Darvin Ham, right? My guy, you’re in Milwaukee for a reason.
Now, Ham is a fine coach. But I’m sure the Lakers’ decision not to pop the champagne after winning the NBA Cup probably had nothing to do with their relative success last year.
Doc Rivers is a better man than me. Because if Ham told me not to pop the champagne? Hand me a bottle right now. If I do this, the Nuggets may have mercy this time.
Look, I get it. Athletes are superstitious. Popping champagne after a regular season tournament would probably feel a little weird.
But, guys. Come on. There’s no need to be this weird about it. Give those rookies and two-way guys something to remember. Let them have a little fun. Some of them just doubled their salary! Somebody is going to buy a house tomorrow because of this!
That’s success worthy of celebrating. Stop being corny and celebrate it.
Peace up, Kirk Cousins down
(Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
Getting demoted on your day off has to suck. Kirk Cousins can tell us all about it.
The Falcons named rookie QB Michael Penix Jr. as the team’s starter for the rest of the season after another stinker from Cousins in Atlanta’s win over the Raiders.
It’s not often you see a team make a QB switch after a win. But you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who doesn’t think this is the right decision.
Our Cory Woodroof has more on what facilitated the end of the Cousins era in Atlanta.
“For as much as the idea of Cousins contending with the team for two or three seasons before an organic passing of the torch to Penix sounded great on paper and in press conferences, there was always the possibility that this timeline would hit the hyperdrive if Cousins struggled in a meaningful way.
Cousins throwing nine picks and a lone touchdown in five games, looking like a statue in the pocket and going 1-4 in that stretch served as the catalyst to his Tuesday benching.
Monday night’s abysmal performance from Cousins against a lowly Las Vegas Raiders defense sealed it. Even though Atlanta got the win, the offense looked stuck in place with Cousins throwing the ball and unable to escape even the smallest sliver of defensive pressure. The writing was on the wall.”
That’ll do it, folks. This dude doesn’t look good anymore. There’s potential for a trade down the line. Cousins could find himself a new home.
But, man. He’s 37 years old. It might just be time to hang ’em up, Kirk.
Mike Vick’s big move
(Photo by Ian Maule/Getty Images)
The NFL legend has climbed the coaching ladder into a pretty fantastic job. After some confusion over the last few days, news finally broke that Michael Vick is headed to Norfolk State as the head coach of the HBCU’s football team.
Vick’s hire could save NSU’s football program entirely:
“Now, in this changing landscape of college football, Norfolk State has turned to a hometown hero and a big name who knows a thing or two about football that might help it harness some goodwill and garner some NIL contributions to keep the program afloat.
If Vick can turn Norfolk State into a winner quickly, it would represent a tremendous feel-good story for Vick and his legacy, Norfolk State and Hampton Roads, and all of college football.
And if Vick is as successful as Deion was at Jackson State, it will only make Brent Pry’s seat in Blacksburg warmer. If Vick’s Spartans have more W’s than Pry’s Hokies next season, expect their resumes to be compared, and expect folks in Blacksburg to call for a different kind of homecoming.”
I hope Vick finds success at Norfolk State, and I hope his tenure there lasts a long, long time. Seeing a good head coach stick around for a minute at an HBCU would be nice.
Quick hits: QB Rankings … Kirk Cousins landing spots … and more
