The most important item on the Milwaukee Bucks’ off-season to-do list was re-signing All-Star forward Khris Middleton to a brand new long-term deal.
Despite some rumblings that opposing teams with cap space could try to lure the forward away from Milwaukee, Middleton inked his signature quickly into 2023 NBA Free Agency. Milwaukee now has its core locked up for the foreseeable future, as they also signed Brook Lopez to a brand new deal as well. With that said, let us stick with Middleton and grade his new contract.
The financial aspect of Khris Middleton’s new contract with the Milwaukee Bucks
Khris Middleton’s new deal is a three-year contract worth $102 million. With that in mind, he’ll make an average of $34 million over the next three years. Given that Middleton turned down a $40 million salary for next season by declining his player option, he took a nice little pay cut to focus on more long-term cash. Per Spotrac, the contract contains a player option in 2025-26.
With this new deal, Middleton is tied for 57th in terms of the highest-paid players in the league when looking at total salary. Given his stature, that’s certainly not a bad deal for Milwaukee. The three-time All-Star and NBA champion very well could have played hardball with the Bucks’ front office or gone elsewhere trying to get more money, which he certainly could have, but it’s great to see that he wanted to stick around in the 414.
In short, this is a quality deal for the Bucks. They really had no choice but to pay Middleton, and a contract like this is beyond reasonable for a three-time All-Star who is still just 31 years old.
Khris Middleton’s fit and role with the Milwaukee Bucks
This section should be pretty easy to understand. Over the last several years, Khris Middleton has been Milwaukee’s second-best player next to Giannis Antetokounmpo. He and Antetokounmpo’s partnership over the years has produced great results, especially in 2021, and a major reason for that is how well they fit together; they’re a lethal one-two punch. Middleton will continue to be that second fiddle for the Milwaukee Bucks next to one of the best players in the game today.
As for his role, Middleton will likely be looking for a little more stability next season than what he dealt with this past year. Of course, the forward was hindered by a string of injuries that forced a big chunk of his season to be spent on the sidelines. When he did play, he was often under a tight minutes restriction and even came off of the bench for a while. With Middleton having undergone a procedure this off-season to clean up his nagging knee, hopefully he’ll be all good from the jump next season and reclaim his starting spot full-time.
If healthy, Middleton could very well get back to his All-Star form next season. It’s a small sample size, but the forward looked good toward the end of the season, especially in Milwaukee’s playoff run, where he averaged 23.8 points and 6.2 assists per game. With a full off-season under his belt to ensure he’s back up to speed, Middleton should come into next season hungry. The Bucks can’t win a championship without him, so hopefully he’s the old Middleton once again next season.
The verdict on Khris Middleton’s new deal with the Milwaukee Bucks
At the end of the day, this is a good deal for the Milwaukee Bucks. Unless they were going to work out a miraculous sign and trade that would bring them back legitimate assets, which was always a long shot, bringing him back was the obvious move. Letting Middleton walk in free agency would have been an outright disastrous decision that could have set Milwaukee back mightily. Instead, a deal was reached, and the Milwaukee Bucks will keep their three-time All-Star forward in town.
Sure, some fans have been concerned about handing a 31-year-old who has spent time over the past two years injured a lucrative deal like this. Middleton has indeed dealt with some big injuries, but they should not hinder him long term. He’s set to have one of the longest off-seasons he’s had for a long time, and hopefully he takes advantage of it by resting up but also putting the work in to craft his game. If so, All-Star selection number four could very well become a reality for Middleton next season. Even better, perhaps he could get them back to the promised land once again.
BTBP Grade: A
Stay tuned for more Milwaukee Bucks analysis, including breakdowns on the new contracts of both Brook Lopez and Jae Crowder.