'It'd be catastrophic' for the Bucks to lose Khris Middleton in free agency, NBA insider says
Will Khris Middleton cash in with the Milwaukee Bucks or another team this offseason?
Middleton, who turns 32 in August, became a free agent overnight Wednesday after he opted out of his $40.4 million player option. That means there's a chance his impressive 10-year run with the Bucks could end.
Then again, there's a very strong possibility that he returns to the Bucks on a longer-term deal as he attempts to win a second NBA championship with Giannis Antetokounmpo and further cement his legacy as one of the franchise's all-time greats.
Either way, the NBA world reacted to the development on the day of the NBA draft and less than two weeks before free agents can sign with teams.
CBS Sports Insider Bill Reiter said Thursday that while it was "expected" and "makes sense" for Middleton to opt out to get maximum dollar, the Bucks can't afford to lose their three-time all-star.
"I think it’d be catastrophic for Milwaukee," Reiter said, before adding "there’s certainly a path for him to be in Milwaukee."
Reiter broke down Middleton's importance to the Bucks, who are coming off a season in which they finished with the best record in the NBA but were ousted by the eighth-seeded Miami Heat in the first round of the playoffs, a disappointing finish for a team that was the favorite to win it all.
"Not only is Khris Middleton critical to what they do, Milwaukee is a place that has trouble recruiting talent to play there. It’s just not easy to bring in free agents," Reiter said. "But you want to make sure Giannis Antetokounmpo is happy. And you need at a minimum, in talking to folks around the NBA, you need Khris and Jrue (Holiday) at least to ensure that Giannis feels like they have what it takes to compete for a championship. Even Middleton flirting with the idea of going somewhere else is not just a problem in the short term. It’s certainly a problem in the long term for the Bucks."
Colin Cowherd of Fox Sports said, if he were Middleton, he would stay in Milwaukee, where he isn't asked to be the lead player.
“He was never a widely recruited athlete,” Cowherd said. “He’s worked very hard at it. I think he’s peaked. I think from this point forward, he’s going to be an under 20 (point scorer) a game. I always liked him. I thought he was a B player. He had a really good playoff when they won the title. I know one thing: I like playing with Giannis and Jrue Holiday. I like playing with those guys. It takes the pressure off me."
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Middleton has starred for the Bucks throughout his career
A former second-round draft pick from Texas A&M who spent one season in Detroit before being traded to Milwaukee ahead of the 2013 season, Middleton has averaged 17.0 points per game, 4.8 rebounds, 3.8 assists in his career. He's been a consistent shooter (45.7% from the field, 38.8% from three-point range and 88.2% from the free-throw line). Before last season, when injuries limited him, he averaged over 20 points per game the previous three seasons.
During the team's championship season in 2021, Middleton had several monster games in crucial moments, like his 38-point games against the Brooklyn Nets in a series-saving Game 6 of the semifinal series and against the Atlanta Hawks in Game 3 of the conference finals when the series was tied, 1-1. Then, he had a playoff career-high 40 points in Game 4 of the NBA Finals to lead the Bucks to a comeback victory and help tie the series at 2-2.
However, since suffering an MCL sprain against the Chicago Bulls in the first round of the 2022 playoffs, he's missed a lot of time with injuries. He played just 33 games last season after recovering from wrist surgery and then battled knee issues.
He underwent right knee surgery early in the offseason.
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The Bucks 'can't lose' Middleton to free agency, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski says
Despite the injuries, NBA experts believe the Bucks still need him.
"This is a player they simply can’t lose in Milwaukee," ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski said.
Wojnarowski said Middleton will "command a lot of attention in the free agent market."
Fellow ESPN NBA insider Brian Windhorst is confident Middleton will return to the Bucks, but he wouldn't put his money on center Brook Lopez staying in Milwaukee.
"I think (Middleton) will end up coming back on a longer deal," Windhorst said. "Not so sure about Brook Lopez. I would wager on Middleton."
Lopez is an unrestricted free agent.
Lopez had a resurgent season with the Bucks and finished as the runner-up in defensive player of the year voting. He was one of the Bucks' most reliable players last season — he played in 78 of 82 games — after missing a large portion of the 2021-22 season with a back injury.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: 'Catastrophic' for Bucks to lose Khris Middleton in free agency
