Khris Middleton, who has outplayed the near-maximum contract he signed in 2019, will become extension-eligible this offseason. He could extend for up to three years, projected at $152.5 million, provided that he exercises his $40.4 million player option in 2023-24. He would be able to sign this extension only during the offseason.
More on Khris Middleton Free Agency
“Khris is a critical piece of our core,” said Bucks General Manager Jon Horst. “As an All-Star, Khris was an integral part of us winning 60 games and advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals. He has also established himself as a leader on our team both on the court and in the community. We’re thrilled Khris is staying in Milwaukee and look forward to even more success together.”
JD Shaw: Statement from Bucks general manager Jon Horst: “We are engaged in free agent negotiations with Khris Middleton. We intend to enter into a player contract with Khris once the moratorium period has ended.”
Khris Middleton: But I am not done. We are not done. The goal wasn't to reach the Eastern Conference finals -- we are on a mission to win a championship. I want to be a part of that mission, which is why I am staying here in Milwaukee for the next five years. It wasn't so long ago that we were a 15-win team (2013-14). When you dream of playing in the NBA, those aren't the seasons you fantasize about. I was 22 years old and it was tough.
Milwaukee had $13.2M in available cap space before free agency began. Lopez contract could start at $12.1M and still leave the team with $2M in room to sign a player to a 2+ year contract. Bird rights allows Milwaukee to exceed the cap to sign Khris Middleton and Malcolm Brogdon. Milwaukee will still have the $4.8M room exception available.
Bobby Marks: Milwaukee could create up to $14M in room and bring back Brook Lopez using cap space. The $22M+ in cap holds of Malcolm Brogdon and Khris Middleton give Milwaukee an advantage when it comes to creating room. It also gives them a buffer when it comes to the tax.
Bobby Marks: Milwaukee can take advantage of the $19.5M cap hold of Middleton, a number that is $13M less from the $32.7M max. Combined with the $3M hold of Malcolm Brogdon, Milwaukee could have cap flexibility but would need to find a home for Tony Snell or Ersan Ilyasova.
Adrian Wojnarowski: Milwaukee Bucks All-Star forward Khris Middleton is declining his $13M player option and will become an unrestricted free agent, his agent, Mike Lindeman of Excel Sports, tells ESPN. Middleton and Bucks are planning to work together toward a new long-term deal, sources said.
Mike Fisher: Sources: #Bucks to keep Middleton ... hard path to also keeping Lopez and both Mirotic and Brogdon (RFA who #Mavs like). MIL therefore trying to fire-sale Snell and Ilyasova, I’m told
The Dallas Mavericks will be preparing to turn the page on a hoped-for pursuit of a top free-agent target in Khris Middleton as an NBA source close to the Middleton situation tells DBcom that the standout wing is planning to decline his player option and then re-sign with the Milwaukee Bucks.
Paul Henning: Bucks free agent, Khris Middleton, has reportedly moved into a new home in a Milwaukee area suburb. Have to think that bodes well for him resigning with Bucks when free agency opens on June 30th.
Matt Velazquez: Khris Middleton talked about having unfinished business with Giannis and the Bucks as a whole. Also said he learned a lot about how to take care of himself & approach FA from a few years ago. Says he will do what’s best for himself and his family — that’s the top priority.
Middleton is a free agent after the season, and the Bucks will make it a priority to keep him around. “It's rare to keep pieces together. Hopefully, we can make deep playoff runs and compete for championships together,” Middleton said.
League sources say that the Mavericks intend to fling themselves into the chase for Khris Middleton and/or Kemba Walker with gusto in hopes that they have a shot at one of them.
Middleton hopes so, and wants to stay. Milwaukee fits his low-key personality. "It has to be the right situation," he says. "But I feel like we have a team that can compete." He is fine with his role next to Antetokounmpo. "People expect us to be more buddy-buddy, but it's not like that," he says. "We're friends. We respect each other. We need each other."
I have yet to hear any credible suggestion that the Mavericks can get in the mix for the elite free agents such as Durant, Thompson and Kyrie Irving. But Middleton is an inevitable (and sensible) target.
Matt Velazquez: Khris Middleton was asked about his future postgame: “I’ll think about the summertime in the summertime. We have a lot more work to do, hopefully. The second half of the season is going to be tough. We’ve been playing great basketball, so that’s the only thing I’m worried about.”
Bledsoe is one of four Bucks’ starters who figure to be free agents this summer, the others being Khris Middleton, Malcolm Brogdon and Brook Lopez. Like Bledsoe, the aforementioned trio of Bucks are all bound for pay raises. “It might have happened before but I don’t ever recall a team having four starting players hitting the free agent market in one summer,’’ a longtime NBA executive said. “I don’t know how they’re going to handle this; I know they’re struggling with it, too.’’
On the high end, Middleton’s 2019-2020 salary will well exceed that of superstar teammate Giannis Antetokounmpo, who is on the books for $25.84 M next season. “He’s going to get the max,’’ an NBA general manager said last week about Middleton. The max? “The max,’’ the GM insisted.
The Bucks feel Middleton can fill that role and should he opt out to hit free agency, a Bucks official told Yahoo Sports: “We’re gonna do everything we can to keep him.” Half of the league will hit free agency in July, and Middleton will have plenty of suitors if he so chooses. “I feel like over the years we’re building something special here, so I feel like there will be an opportunity for me to be here and win at the same time,” Middleton said. “If I feel like I have a chance to win somewhere else and do better things, I’ll look into that.”
Those are star-quality numbers, and they’re the reason Middleton has max-deal buzz. There will be opportunities to explore — both the Lakers and Clippers, sources say, will have interest in Middleton, and he’ll have options with rebuilding teams such as New York, Dallas and Cleveland. Either way, Middleton will get something around a five-year, $190 million deal from Milwaukee, or a four-year, $140 million contract to sign elsewhere.
There’s still plenty of time, but here in the depths of the early season, Middleton is shaping up to be one of the most interesting players of next summer. It’s a forgone conclusion that Middleton will opt out, because he is slated to double his payday if he does. The Bucks, a source told Sporting News, are prepared for that reality and prepared to be aggressive when it comes to re-signing Middleton.
Middleton is not going to thump his chest over any of this speculation. That’s not his way. He’s got five months of season left, plus the playoffs, and after a wistful max-salary interlude, it does not take long for him to get back to speaking in bland platitudes. “I have always been the kind of guy who just takes it one day at a time,” Middleton told Sporting News. “Focus on what needs to be done that day. Don’t think too far ahead. Once you start thinking too far ahead, you get distracted by things that don’t matter on that day. So that doesn’t matter.”
Ken Berger: Khris Middleton and the Bucks have finalized their five-year, approximately $70 million deal, league source confirms.
Marc Stein: ESPN sources say Milwaukee and Khris Middleton are closing in on five-year, $70 million deal
Eric Pincus: The Milwaukee Bucks have given Khris Middleton a qualifying offer to make him a restricted free agent @BBallInsiders
