When Milwaukee Bucks wing Khris Middleton opted out of his $40.4 million contract for next season, some thought that he might be headed elsewhere in NBA free agency.
That is not going to be the case. The three-time All-Star performer has re-signed with the championship contenders.
According to Adrian Wojnarowski, Middleton’s new deal is set to be worth $102 million over three seasons.
Much like Draymond Green opting out of his deal, only to re-sign with the Golden State Warriors, this contract is mutually beneficial. It enables the 31-year-old Middleton to cash on a longer-term deal after two injury-plagued seasons. Meanwhile, the Milwaukee Bucks significantly lower his NBA salary cap number for the 2023-24 season.
Related: Top 100 NBA free agents of 2023
Khris Middleton stats (2022-23): 15.1 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 4.9 APG, 44% shooting, 32% 3-point
A former second-round pick of the Detroit Pistons back in 2012, Middleton played in just 33 games this past season due to a knee injury.
Prior to that, the veteran wing had performed extremely well as Giannis Antetokounmpo’s top running partner for the Bucks. From 2017-22, Middleton averaged 19.9 points, 5.7 rebounds and 4.7 assists on 39% shooting from the field.
For Milwaukee, this enables the team to run it back with the core three of Middleton, Giannis and Jrue Holiday after an historic collapse in the first round of the 2023 NBA Playoffs at the hands of the No. 8 seed Miami Heat.