Khris Middleton knew his time with the Milwaukee Bucks was coming to an end before the franchise traded him over the winter.

The Milwaukee Bucks bid farewell to a franchise legend this winter as Khris Middleton was traded by the team after spending 12 seasons with the Bucks.

Middleton was moved to the Washington Wizards for Kyle Kuzma in a multi-team deal. It helps the franchise contend now and for longer with Kuzma being three years younger than Middleton.

Middleton spoke to The Athletic about the Bucks deciding to move on from him, with the forward positively reflecting on his time with the Bucks but ultimately agreeing that his time simply ran out.

“I’ve had many opportunities. That’s the way I’ve kind of looked at it. My time ran out. Simple as that. I mean, I could say my time could have ran out a long time ago. They held onto me, believed in my potential, and believed in the work that they saw.

But I think this time, it was just we think a different route is better for our team going forward. And I can’t do nothing but respect that.

“They leaned on me in a lot of different ways. Giannis [Antetokounmpo] goes down? They counted on me to take them to the next round.

Things like that. Giannis is in and out or we need a big shot or we need whatever, they counted on me many times. And I guess they couldn’t count on me.

“As a player and as a person, I mean, I can’t control their opinions and beliefs on me. I can only control what I think of myself. I definitely think I’m still that player.

I can still be that player. Yes, it may take a little bit of time, but I think ultimately I can. But they didn’t think that, and they gotta do what’s best for them.”

Middleton became a three-time All-Star with the Bucks and was instrumental in helping them secure the 2021 NBA Championship.

However, injury troubles over the last few seasons ensured he couldn’t produce at the level his contract justified. He averaged 12.6 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 4.4 assists this season before being traded.

He joined the franchise in 2013, with his debut season being the same as Giannis Antetokounmpo’s rookie season. While being teammates for years, their time together has officially run out.

Middleton averaged 17.1 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 4.1 assists in 735 games with the franchise. He undoubtedly will have his jersey retired one day, but he has to reconcile with spending the rest of his career outside the Bucks family he came to love.

Khris Middleton Knew It Was Hard To Fit Him Alongside Giannis And Lillard

In his interview with The Athletic, Middleton spoke frankly about the challenges of playing alongside Giannis and Damian Lillard, with all three being at their best with the ball.

“It was complicated. I would say we were all trying to do the right thing, but, like I said, it was a hard fit. I mean, you got two primary, ball-dominant guys, and I’m halfway in the middle with that. To find that balance, it was hard because we never had consistency with it.”

“If we don’t have consistency with that, you’re going to have scoreless or shotless nights or nights where Dame looks like he’s not really involved with the game as he should be. That was the part that was tricky. We just couldn’t get enough reps.

As much as we tried, as much as we tried to communicate and make things work, that’s the result we got a lot of times in games, which wasn’t fun.”

“At times, it was frustrating, but we weren’t frustrated with each other. We were just frustrated, like, why? Why can’t we figure this thing out? You need time and, you know with the situation we were in, there was not enough time.”

With Kyle Kuzma, the Bucks have a more versatile wing option whose primary trait isn’t scoring. He is a more impactful defender and rebounder at this stage while being able to score within the flow of the offense.

Middleton’s time in Milwaukee might be over, but his legacy is cemented.