What the Milwaukee Bucks should do with each impending free agent

Brook Lopez – Retain

Last off-season, some Bucks fans were starting to plot whether or not it was time to trade away Brook Lopez. His campaign that season was plagued by a back injury, and fans were concerned if he could ever return to his prior form. Well, Lopez had an excellent bounce-back season and put up some of the best numbers of his career in 2022-23. Not only did the big man average 15.9 points per game, but he also led the league in blocks and finished second in the Defensive Player of the Year voting. Though he’s 35, keeping Lopez seems like a no-brainer, as it would be hard to find a center who fits in better. Losing the unrestricted free agent for nothing would be a huge blow.

Khris Middleton – Retain

Coming off a season where he played just 33 regular season games, the second-fewest of his career, Khris Middleton has a huge decision coming up. He has a $40.4 million player option to ponder this off-season. If he accepts, he will be back in Milwaukee with that salary for another year, but if he declines, he’ll test the market in hopes of earning a raise. Bucks fans have gone back and forth about whether it’s time to move on from Middleton, but no matter what, the team can – under no circumstances – lose him for nothing. That would be absolutely disastrous, as the Bucks would not be able to free up cap space to sign another major player by letting Middleton walk.

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