Khris Middleton, Milwaukee Bucks
The Bucks seem to believe that the roster they have now is good enough to win a championship, but if they were to go after James Harden, Khris Middleton is the guy who would have to be traded given his large contract and the financial restrictions acquiring James Harden would incur.
Khris Middleton has been the #2 guy next to Giannis Antetokounmpo on the Bucks for years now, but acquiring James Harden could be extremely beneficial to Milwaukee as they pursue numerous championships. There is no denying that Harden is a better player than Middleton and given his offensive firepower, the duo of Harden and Giannis would be virtually unstoppable.
These two league MVPs are extremely gifted offensive talents and while giving up Middleton would have a negative impact on the Bucks defensively, they would not have to worry as they would be the league’s top scoring team, making it hard for opposing teams to outsource them.
From Houston’s side of things, Khris Middleton is a 2x NBA All-Star and oftentimes gets overlooked because of how good Giannis Antetokounmpo is. On his own without Giannis and instead with John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins by his side, Middleton could turn himself into an even better NBA player and potentially an All-NBA type of performer.
Last season, Khris Middleton averaged 20.9 points, 6.2 rebounds, 4.3 assists and shot 41.5% from three-point range. He has established himself as one of the better two-way players in the entire NBA and in the #1 role for the Rockets, Middleton could thrive.
Obviously Giannis Antetokounmpo is off-the-table when it comes to trade talks and will not be traded, which makes Khris Middleton the guy the Rockets should target if they decide to trade James Harden to the Milwaukee Bucks.
