Milwaukee Bucks: Grading The Offseason
Re-Signing Khris Middleton
When the Bucks surprisingly traded Brandon Knight to the Phoenix Suns last year at the trade deadline, they were putting themselves in position to pay up for Khris Middleton. By re-signing him to a five-year, $70 million extension, Milwaukee locked in their talented young wing for the long haul on a deal that will probably wind up looking like a bargain in a few years.
That’s contingent not only on the salary cap rising by $40 million in the next two years, but also on Middleton’s development. Last season, he had a breakout year that should’ve had him seriously in the running for the NBA’s Most Improved Player of the Year Award, averaging 13.4 points and 4.4 rebounds per game on 46.7 percent shooting (and 40.7 percent from three-point range, which ranked 11th in the NBA).
Just saw the Khris Middleton deal. Wow, Milwaukee sure saved a few Bucks on that one
— Mike Prada. (PRAY-duh) (@MikePradaNBA) July 1, 2015
Middleton was really the only consistent three-point threat Milwaukee had in its starting lineup last season after trading away Knight and bringing in MCW. He also doubled as yet another lengthy defensive wing who fit in perfectly with the Bucks’ second ranked defense.
At 23 years old, Middleton is nowhere near done improving and the Bucks are banking on his ceiling being that of a player who deserves $14 million a year. But as the cap continues to rise and Middleton continues to improve alongside his similarly wet-behind-the-ears teammates, there’s a very good chance the Bucks will be rewarded on this one.
Grade: A
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