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Sacramento Kings: 5 free agents to consider in 2019

By Cannon Wonderlich

NEW ORLEANS, LA - OCTOBER 19: Nikola Mirotic #3 of the New Orleans Pelicans drives against Willie Cauley-Stein #00 of the Sacramento Kings during the first half at the Smoothie King Center on October 19, 2018 in New Orleans, Louisiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)
NEW ORLEANS, LA - OCTOBER 19: Nikola Mirotic #3 of the New Orleans Pelicans drives against Willie Cauley-Stein #00 of the Sacramento Kings during the first half at the Smoothie King Center on October 19, 2018 in New Orleans, Louisiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images) /
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Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images
Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images /

Khris Middleton: Small Forward/Shooting Guard (UFA) — Milwaukee Bucks

Khris Middleton has had a very inspiring rise from obscurity as a second round draft pick. The Detroit Pistons spent their 39th overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft on him and sent him to Milwaukee along with Brandon Knight in exchange for Brandon Jennings after one season on the team.

There were little to no expectations for Middleton and I’m sure that if he had ended up being a serviceable bench player, Milwaukee would’ve been perfectly content. Much to everyone’s surprise, Middleton has become a top-10 player at his position and a highly coveted asset for one of the Eastern Conference’s best teams. Middleton is on a very team-friendly contract right now and will surely receive generous offers this summer.

Over the past few seasons, Middleton has proven to be a top-tier wing man for Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks will definitely be looking to keep his talents on a long-term deal. There will presumably will be many teams throwing offers at Middleton, and the Kings should be one of them.

His elite 3-point shooting would be an advancement of Sacramento’s “floor-spacers surrounding De’Aaron Fox” formula. Middleton would also be able to defend opposing teams’ best guards, letting Fox and Buddy Hield take a breather on the defensive end. He has great size for a swingman, which can help him shoot over shorter opponents, as well as grabbing a cool 5.9 rebounds per game.

Middleton probably isn’t worth a max contract, but he does deserve a large paycheck, which the Bucks will probably offer him. If they balk, however, Sacramento should offer him a three-year, $80 million deal. If Middleton wants more money, the Kings should forget it and move on. If they were to spend too much on someone, they ought to target one of the top players instead.

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