The Milwaukee Bucks were considered the favorites to win the NBA title for much of the year. But, they fell short in embarrassing fashion, losing in the first round to the eighth-seeded and eventual Eastern Conference champions, the Miami Heat. But, they don’t seem like they’re ready to significantly upend their core, as they have re-signed All Star forward Khris Middleton in the early minutes of free agency.
Three-time All-Star Khris Middleton has agreed on a new three-year, $102 million deal to stay with the Milwaukee Bucks, his agents Mike Lindeman and Jeff Schwartz of @excelbasketball tell ESPN. Middleton keeps franchise a championship contender with his return. Player option. pic.twitter.com/o2E7vXXQj8
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 30, 2023
Khris Middleton is coming off of a down year, as his scoring average dropped by five points from the 2021-2022 season, where averaged 20 points a game. Injuries hampered his season, as he missed the first twenty games of last season while recovering from wrist surgery, and he had to sit eighteen games in a row in December and January with knee soreness. While he returned, he definitely was not the same second option to star Giannis Antetekounmpo. He shot a career-low 43.6% from the floor, and just 31.5% from three. But, he showed flashes at the end of the season of being his old self, as the 31-year-old averaged 23.8 points in the playoffs on very good shooting numbers of .465/.406/.867.
There is still one big piece the Bucks need to resign, as Defensive Player of the Year runner-up Brook Lopez is an unrestricted free agent. The 35-year-old was fantastic on both ends, as he average 15.9 points a game on 53% shooting and 37.4% from three to go along with good defense. The team hired Adrian Griffin to replace NBA champion and NBA Coach of the Year Mike BUdenholzer.