2019 NBA free agency: 5 potential landing spots for Khris Middleton
By Jordan Foote
With 2019 NBA free agency quickly approaching, where are some of the best potential landing spots for Milwaukee Bucks wing Khris Middleton?
Believe it or not, we are just a few weeks away from 2019 NBA free agency. At 6:00 p.m. ET on June 30, things open up for teams to begin contacting players and work on negotiating contracts.
While there’s a ton of talk about the top tier of talent available this summer, players just below that level can still shake up the landscape of the NBA. Milwaukee Bucks small forward Khris Middleton fits that category to a T.
Fresh off his first career All-Star appearance, Middleton has the ability to decline a $13 million player option and receive his first hefty payday as an NBA player. Although the five-year, $70 million contract he signed in July of 2015 seemed like a large sum of cash, it’s nothing in comparison to what the 27-year-old could command on the open market this offseason.
It’s a definite possibility that the Milwaukee front office offers Middleton a max contract. The projected amount of that contract would put the Bucks on the books for $32.7 million in 2019-20. When factoring in a potential (inevitable) contract extension for Giannis Antetokounmpo and looming decisions on Nikola Mirotic, Brook Lopez, Malcolm Brogdon and George Hill, it’s easy to see how complicated their cap situation can get in a hurry.
Should Middleton test the market this June/July, he’ll be a highly sought-after name. Wing players that can defend at a high level and give a team close to 20 points per game, in addition to solid rebounding and assist efforts, are somewhat rare. Which teams would be the best potential landing spots for the forward as he enters his eighth NBA season?