In an effort to soften the blow of losing Khris Middleton for about six months, the Milwaukee Bucks acquired Michael Beasley from the Houston Rockets in exchange for Tyler Ennis, the team announced Thursday.
Beasley, 27, signed with the Rockets last March after playing with the Shandong Golden Stars of the Chinese Basketball Association. He was named the league’s Foreign MVP for the 2015-16 season after averaging 31.8 points and 13.4 rebounds. In 20 regular-season games for the Rockets, Beasley averaged 12.8 points and 4.9 rebounds.
Meanwhile, Ennis goes to Houston after getting quite a bit of playing time this past season. The 22-year-old former first-round pick averaged 14.2 minutes in 46 games for Milwaukee.
The Bucks traded for Beasley one day after Middleton suffered a torn left hamstring that will require surgery, sidelining the team’s leading scorer until mid-to-late March. Middleton averaged a career-high 18.2 points and 4.2 assists in 79 games last season.
Beasley adds a veteran presence to the Bucks, but the scoring load likely falls on the shoulders of Milwaukee’s younger players: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jabari Parker and Greg Monroe.
