Khris Middleton set to be a free agent after declining player option, though re-signing with Milwaukee still a possibility
Khris Middleton is set to become a free agent.
The three-time All-Star declined his player option for 2023-24 that would have paid him $40.4 million. In doing so, he gave himself a chance to hit the open market for the first time in his career, though ESPN reported that re-signing with Milwaukee is a possibility. The Bucks still have exclusive negotiating rights with Middleton for about another week, as he won’t be able to talk with others teams about potential contracts until 5 p.m. on June 30.
The soon-to-be 32-year-old has been plagued by injuries in the last year. He went down in the 2022 playoffs with a knee injury, missing the final 11 games of the postseason. Then, he missed the first 20 games of this past season after undergoing offseason wrist surgery. He returned in early December, playing in seven games before going down with another knee injury. The veteran missed a month before returning in a role coming off the bench. He eventually re-entered the starting lineup in March but the Bucks limited him, never allowing him to play more than four straight games.
Middleton re-injured the knee late in the season against Chicago but played in all five playoff games against Miami, averaging 23.8, 6.4 rebounds and 6.2 assists per game, while shooting 40-percent from beyond the arc.