Wizards add forward Middleton in six-team trade, latest move in path to relevance
by Liam Griffin · The Washington TimesThe Washington Wizards added forward Khris Middleton as part of a six-team trade on Wednesday, the team announced, as they continue their offseason march back toward relevance.
Middleton agreed to a new contract before the Tuesday night trade worth $17.6 million over the next three seasons. The second and third years of the contract are not fully guaranteed.
The deal sent Wizards guard D’Angelo Russell — who joined Washington via midseason trade but didn’t suit up for the Wizards — and second-round picks in 2029 and 2033 to the Memphis Grizzlies.
The elaborate trade also sent guard Caris LeVert and two second-round picks from Detroit to Milwaukee, while the Pistons added Taurean Price and Gary Harris.
Middleton was the biggest name in the six-team exchange. The three-time All-Star rose to prominence during his 12 seasons with the Milwaukee Bucks, including the 2020-21 championship campaign. He originally joined the Wizards through a trade during the 2024-25 season, though Washington flipped him to the Dallas Mavericks in a deal in February.
Middleton averaged 16 points, 5.8 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game across 63 appearances in Washington and Dallas last season.
The addition of Middleton was the latest move in Washington’s ongoing roster overhaul.
The Wizards have been the worst team in the NBA over the last three seasons. General manager Will Dawkins started the next phase of a painful rebuild last season, when he added All-Stars Trae Young and Anthony Davis through trades with the Atlanta Hawks and Dallas Mavericks.
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But Davis has not played for Washington due to a hand injury. Quad issues prevented Young from playing in all but 15 games last year.
The path back to national relevance accelerated in May, when the Wizards landed the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft lottery. Washington selected BYU’s A.J. Dybantsa with the top pick. The 19-year-old was the leading scorer in the NCAA last season and became widely regarded as the draft’s top prospect.
“He wants to build this thing into something that can be sustainable,” Dawkins said of Dybantsa after last month’s draft.
On Tuesday, Dawkins officially announced a trade with the Los Angeles Lakers that sent center DeAndre Ayton to the Wizards. Ayton, the top pick in the 2018 draft, posted 12.5 points and 8 rebounds per game during his lone year with the Lakers.
The addition of Ayton, Middleton, Davis and Young provides an experienced veteran rotation to accompany Washington’s young core. Dybantsa is the jewel of the group, joined by 2024 No. 2 pick Alex Sarr, 2025 first-rounders Tre Johnson and Will Riley, and 2023’s first-round pick Bilal Coulibaly.
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Dybantsa, Johnson and Riley are set to take the court for the Wizards’ Summer League slate, which begins Thursday in Las Vegas. Their development is even more important than the veteran acquisitions, Dawkins said.
“The ultimate goal was to get a bunch of young players that the fans and the city can get behind, that play the right way and have some continuity and build something that’s sustainable,” he said on 106.7 “The Fan” last month.
The Wizards open Summer League play against the Utah Jazz Thursday night. They’ll then have matchups with the Sacramento Kings, Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Clippers before a final game that will be announced next week.
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Liam Griffin
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