Khris Middleton stays with the Milwaukee Bucks on a 3-year, $102 million deal

All-Star forward Khris Middleton is not going anywhere after he re-signed with the Milwaukee Bucks.

The veteran shooter had declined his $40.4 player option, but many believed that he would opt to stay with the Bucks.

Middleton did just that after he agreed to a three-year, $102 million deal with the Bucks in what was a good start of NBA free agency signing for Milwaukee on Friday.

Keeping the core

Milwaukee general manager Jon Horst has said that re-signing the three-time All-Star was a priority.

“Khris is core to who we are and really all the success we’ve had,” Horst had said last week during a post-draft news conference. “Our goal is always to sustain our success and continue to compete and (have) a chance to win and be in position to win year in and year out. We hope to have him back.”

With Middleton re-signing, half of the job is already done for the Bucks, as they are also trying to re-sign Brook Lopez. Middleton, Lopez, and Giannis Antetokounmpo are part of the Bucks’ nucleus, including Jrue Holiday.

Milwaukee is pinning its hopes on those four players in their bid to bounce back from two straight early playoff exits.

Middleton played his first NBA season with the Detroit Pistons. He was traded to the on July 31, 2013, with Brandon Knight and Viacheslav Kravtsov for Brandon Jennings. It was in the Bucks that Middleton became a solid “3-and-D” perimeter player.

A critical part of the Bucks’ 2021 title run

The 6-foot-7 forward played a key role in the Bucks’ championship run in 2021.

In Game 4 of the Finals against the Phoenix Suns, Middleton scored 40 points on 15-for-33 shooting in a 109-103 victory that helped Milwaukee tie the series 2-2.

In Game 5, Middleton collected 29 points on 12-for-23 shooting to help Milwaukee seize a critical 3-2 series lead.

Middleton, who will turn 32 on August 12th, averaged 15.1 points, 4.9 assists, and 4.2 rebounds in an injury-plagued campaign last season.

Middleton played just 33 games due to a series of injuries last season, where he missed the first 20 games of the season due to a wrist injury. A sore right knee also forced Middleton to miss 18 straight games later in the year.