NBA Free Agency: Stock-up, stock-down based on the first round of the NBA Playoffs
By Ian Levy
NBA Free Agency stock down: Khris Middleton
The prevailing wisdom at the start of this season was that Khris Middleton would use this season to audition for a new, long-term contract, either pulling a commitment from the Bucks or declining his $40 million option for next season to hit the open market before he turned 32.
If that was the plan, things went completely off the rails. Middleton was only healthy enough to appear in 33 games, saw his shooting percentages plummet across the board and rarely looked like the elite wing defender or high-level complementary creator he had been early in his Bucks tenure. His performance in the first-round loss to the Heat looked much better on paper — 23.8 points, 6.4 rebounds and 6.2 assists per game, shooting 40.6 percent from beyond the arc. But it may be a case of far too little, too late.
Middleton put up some decent numbers but wasn’t able to provide any meaningful defensive resistance against Jimmy Butler’s ridiculous performance. His offense, while far more efficient than the regular season, felt like a fart in a hurricane as the Bucks fractured in real-time.
It seems less likely than ever that his long-term future lies with the Bucks but opting out now probably is going to land him contract offers far below what he was hoping for, both in salary and years, when the season began.
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