The Bucks have traded Khris Middleton to the Wizards, ending his tenure as one of their franchise cornerstones in a multiplayer deal that sends Kyle Kuzma to Milwaukee, sources told ESPN’s Shams Charania.

The Bucks also sent rookie guard AJ Johnson, their first-round draft selection last year, and a pick swap to Washington, which dealt forward Patrick Baldwin Jr. and second-round draft compensation to Milwaukee, sources told Charania.

Middleton, 33, spent the past 11-plus seasons in Milwaukee and was one of the foundational pieces of the Bucks’ championship team in 2021.

But Middleton has been hampered by injuries in recent years and continues to recover from offseason surgery on both ankles, which sidelined him for the first 21 games of this season and has limited his production — his 12.6 points per game is his lowest scoring average since 2013-14.

Middleton is owed $31.7 million this season and has a player option for next year worth $34 million. Kuzma is making $23.5 million this season, but his salary drops to $21.4 million next season, followed by $19.4 million in the final year of his deal.

To help Milwaukee build out its roster, Kuzma is reducing a portion of the trade bonus in his contract, sources told ESPN’s Bobby Marks. The savings drops Milwaukee below the second apron, which will give the Bucks more flexibility to improve their roster going forward.

The Bucks can now aggregate salaries to make a trade, which they were previously restricted in doing under the collective bargaining agreement. But to achieve that flexibility, the Bucks traded their longest-tenured player who was a longtime running mate to franchise superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Middleton rose from G League player to NBA All-Star on the strength of his ability to play well off Antetokounmpo. The three-time All-Star averaged over 20 points four times in a five-year stretch that began with the 2017-18 season and ran through the 2021-22 campaign. He co-starred with Antetokounmpo and Jrue Holiday to lead Milwaukee to its first NBA title in 50 years with a six-game Finals victory over the Phoenix Suns to cap the 2020-21 post-bubble season.

But after the championship run, knee injuries slowed Middleton, as he hyperextended his knee during the 2021-22 regular season before suffering an MCL sprain in his left knee during the playoffs. He missed the start of the following season while recovering from offseason wrist surgery then missed an additional 18 straight games during the year with knee soreness.

The ankle surgeries in the offseason delayed Middleton’s season debut until December, and he has appeared in 23 games since, starting in seven.

Kuzma, 29, is averaging 15.2 points and 5.8 rebounds on 42% shooting this season, the lowest percentage of his career. He injects some youth to a Bucks roster that features three core players — Antetokounmpo, Damian Lillard and Brook Lopez — in their 30s.

The 6-foot-9 Kuzma also can play in the frontcourt next to Antetokounmpo in Milwaukee’s small-ball lineups. Kuzma, however, has struggled throughout his career shooting from the outside; he is a career 33% 3-point shooter, including a career-low 28% this season.

Kuzma signed a four-year, $102 million deal with Washington in July 2023, a contract that came after he averaged 21.2 points and 7.2 rebounds in 64 games. He has had a strong defensive season, according to ESPN Research, which tracked opponents shooting 42.7% against him this season. That falls within the top 25 players with at least 250 field goal attempts.

Johnson, 20, has not played much for the Bucks as a rookie and has spent most of the season in the G League.

Baldwin, 22, was raised in Wisconsin has also been used sparingly, appearing in 22 games for the Wizards this season.