After a disappointing (and rather shocking) first round exit at the hands of the Miami Heat, the Milwaukee Bucks faced a number of decisions this offseason. The first was to make a coaching change, firing Mike Budenholzer and hiring Adrian Griffin from Toronto to bring a fresh perspective to the Bucks bench.
The second was figuring out what would happen with Khris Middleton, who has been a long-standing part of the Bucks’ core, going from a promising young player to a three-time All-Star and a near-perfect complement for Giannis Antetokounmpo en route to a championship. But as it turns out, Milwaukee will need to battle to keep him around, as Middleton declined his player option for $40 million ahead of next season and will become an unrestricted free agent.
Three-time All-Star forward Khris Middleton has declined his $40 million player option with the Milwaukee Bucks to become a free agent, his agents Mike Lindeman and Jeff Schwartz of @excelbasketball tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/k0sO5qhSk6
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 22, 2023
Wojnarowski did add that the door is not shut on a reunion between the two sides.
A return to the Bucks on a new deal remains a possibility for Middleton. https://t.co/KYpy4qLYZe
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 22, 2023
This past season was a tough one for Middleton as he worked his way back from the knee injury he suffered in the 2022 playoffs, playing in just 33 games and averaging 15.1 points and 4.9 rebounds per game on 43.6/31.5/90.2 shooting splits, as he was kept on a minutes restriction and sat out here and there to manage his knee. However, he showed a return to form against the Heat, serving as the most consistent offensive threat the Bucks had in the series, averaging 23.8 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 6.2 assists per game on 46.5/40.2/86.7 splits.
