By Jimmy Carlton Sportswriter Published Sep 22, 2016 at 3:47 PM

The Bucks acquired forward Michael Beasley from the Rockets in exchange for guard Tyler Ennis, general manager John Hammond announced Thursday.

The trade comes in the wake of Wednesday's news that shooting guard Khris Middleton would likely miss the next six months after surgery to repair a torn hamstring muscle suffered in preseason workouts.

"We’re excited to add a player with Michael’s skill set to our team," Hammond said in a statement. "He’s someone that we’ve kept our eye on the last few seasons and we’re looking forward to watching him compete throughout training camp and the season."

The 27-year-old Beasley appeared in 20 games for Houston last season and averaged 12.8 points and 4.9 rebounds per game. Before signing with the Rockets, Beasley played in China and dominated with the Shandong Golden Stars, averaging 31.9 points, 13.4 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 2.0 steals and 1.3 blocks per game and earning the CBA’s Foreign MVP Award for the 2015-16 season. Beasley was the MVP of the CBA All-Star Game for the second year in a row last season after recording 63 points, 19 rebounds and 13 assists for the South team.

Originally the second overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft after one year at Kansas State, Beasley has career averages of 13.0 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 453 games (200 starts) for Miami, Minnesota, Phoenix and Houston. He's had some off-court issues, involving drugs, altercations with fans and teammates and a 2013 sexual assault charge that was dropped after no probable cause was established. The 6-foot-10 Beasley can play both forward positions, but doesn't help Milwaukee address its need at shooting guard, following Middleton's injury.

Incidentally, former Bucks guard O.J. Mayo, currently suspended by the NBA for violating the league's anti-drug program, was the third pick in the 2008 draft, one spot after Beasley.

Ennis, 22, averaged 4.5 points, 2.1 assists and 1.6 rebounds in 46 games (seven starts) last season. Drafted No. 18 overall by Phoenix in 2014, Ennis was acquired by the Bucks at the trade deadline in 2015 as part of a three-team trade with the Sixers and the Suns. In 79 career NBA games (eight starts), Ennis has averaged 4.1 points, 2.1 assists and 1.4 rebounds.

"We wish Tyler the best and thank him for his contributions to the Bucks, both on and off the court," Hammond added.

Born in Milwaukee but a product of Shorewood High School (go ‘Hounds!) and Northwestern University (go ‘Cats!), Jimmy never knew the schoolboy bliss of cheering for a winning football, basketball or baseball team. So he ditched being a fan in order to cover sports professionally - occasionally objectively, always passionately. He's lived in Chicago, New York and Dallas, but now resides again in his beloved Brew City and is an ardent attacker of the notorious Milwaukee Inferiority Complex.

After interning at print publications like Birds and Blooms (official motto: "America's #1 backyard birding and gardening magazine!"), Sports Illustrated (unofficial motto: "Subscribe and save up to 90% off the cover price!") and The Dallas Morning News (a newspaper!), Jimmy worked for web outlets like CBSSports.com, where he was a Packers beat reporter, and FOX Sports Wisconsin, where he managed digital content. He's a proponent and frequent user of em dashes, parenthetical asides, descriptive appositives and, really, anything that makes his sentences longer and more needlessly complex.

Jimmy appreciates references to late '90s Brewers and Bucks players and is the curator of the unofficial John Jaha Hall of Fame. He also enjoys running, biking and soccer, but isn't too annoying about them. He writes about sports - both mainstream and unconventional - and non-sports, including history, music, food, art and even golf (just kidding!), and welcomes reader suggestions for off-the-beaten-path story ideas.