Bucks co-owner Wes Edens admits deadline moves were ‘basketball’ related, not financial

Bucks co-owner Wes Edens admits deadline moves were ‘basketball’ related, not financial

We are nearly two months removed from the 2024-25 NBA Trade Deadline. One of the more surprising moves on deadline day was when the Milwaukee Bucks acquired Kyle Kuzma from the Washington Wizards in a package headlined by veteran Khris Middleton.

At best, it was viewed as a pretty lateral acquisition because of Kuzma’s disastrous start to the season in Washington. Though one of the benefits of the move was getting under the punitive second apron, creating a little more flexibility to allow Milwaukee to be more creative with its process.

However, Bucks co-owner Wes Edens admitted this week that the move was made purely for basketball reasons–not financial.

“No. Not at all. None of that,” he said, according to Eric Nehm of The Athletic. “We have come out of our pockets to put the best team we can on the field and spent a lot of money doing so and have a championship to show for it and a lot of wins. But we always want more.

“The moves we made at the deadline were basketball moves. And the financial was a part of it, in the consideration of the second apron, but I think that (general manager) Jon Horst and his organization did and recommended what they thought would be best for the basketball team and I think that they did a great job.”

The Bucks were able to duck nearly $3 million below the second apron at the deadline, which doesn’t matter as much now as it did then. According to Spotrac, this upcoming offseason, they will have $28 million in space before the first apron and $40 million until the second apron–assuming they don’t elect to re-sign Brook Lopez, Gary Trent Jr. or Taurean Prince, among others.

Kuzma did make the Bucks more dynamic at the wing–and Middleton was consistently injured and couldn’t be relied upon to stay healthy. I still don’t love having to give up 2024 first-round pick AJ Johnson–arguably their top young player–who’s done well in Washington since the trade.

Kuzma’s frontloaded contract does help the Bucks out financially, especially if they want to use his contract to facilitate another move to make Giannis Antetokounmpo happy. Damian Lillard‘s not getting any younger, nor is the rest of that team. Tick tock.

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