The Milwaukee Bucks are reinventing their own roster around Giannis Antetokounmpo. Meanwhile, one of the players they cast off, Khris Middleton, is breaking down in the nation's capital, and this could be the end of his career.
The Bucks saw the writing on the wall when they made the difficult decision to trade away Middleton at the 2025 Trade Deadline. The fact that they chose Kyle Kuzma as the returning player speaks to some combination of the Bucks' poor scouting and Middleton's cratered value.
The three-time All-Star and second-best player on the 2021 Milwaukee Bucks Championship team meant a lot to the city and the fan base, but he has crossed the line as a positive NBA starter. Given that he is still playing out a contract paying him like a high-end starter, it was only ever going to be a tanking team with gobs of cap flexibility that was going to take him on.
When the Washington Wizards acquired him in February, there was the possibility of pulling off a Sam Presti special. The Wizards' front office tandem of Michael Winger and Will Dawkins came from the Oklahoma City Thunder, where they saw their boss Presti get value for taking on a veteran contract, rehabillitate that player, and then pivot and trade him for outgoing value. Money in, money out.
Khris Middleton has been terrible
That won't be the case with Middleton. On Sunday night against the Brooklyn Nets he scored 14 points; it was his first double-digit scoring night since October, and the most points he scored all season since the opener against the Bucks. He was also a +3 in his minutes, the first positive on-off since the second game of the season.
Some of Middleton's struggles can likely be chalked up to his environment; he has one of the worst backcourts in the league to set him up, and he is often called to defend power forwards, something he has struggled to do his entire career. Yet it's undeniable that the Middleton of even three or four seasons ago would be putting up 30 points a night given the lack of other offensive stars; he isn't able to come close.
For the season, Khris Middleton is averaging just 9.9 points and 3.9 rebounds per game in 24.8 minutes, and he is shooting 32.1 percent from 3-point range. He is no longer able to create separation with the ball in his hands, and his off-ball utility is both underutilized on this inexperienced Wizards team and less dangerous.
Middleton is making $33.3 million this season, and the Wizards likely hoped to flip his expiring deal to another team and take back longer-term money for an asset or two. That won't happen; no one is trading for Middleton's contract, expiring or no. There isn't a contending team in the league that thinks Middleton will even crack their rotation, let alone be worth the cost.
This is probably heading toward a buyout, and perhaps Middleton an breathe some life back into his career coming off the bench in the playoffs. Things are looking grim, however, and it would not be a surprise for Middleton to be announcing his retirement next summer.
It's a hard fall from grace for a beloved Bucks star. Father Time waits for no man.