They need his offensive impact and floor spacing, and they can’t replace him if he walks. Middleton leaving with no return likely dooms the Bucks as a title contender. Can the Bucks stomach paying that much, given the above problems? Probably not, which greases the wheels for Middleton to sign with another team. The other issue is that Middleton can probably find a couple of teams that are willing to pay him his maximum amount, which would start at $46.9 million and go up from there. The Milwaukee Bucks might not be able to bring Khris Middleton back
Even if the Bucks’ owners are willing to pay that much money in a small market for a team that just lost in the first round, starting in 2023-24, being deep into the tax will trigger draconian team-building restrictions. One, the price to bring both back at market value will send this team rocketing into the luxury tax.
With their core intact, this team has the talent, the two-way attack, and the continuity to challenge for a title. The best version of the Milwaukee Bucks next season involves the team re-signing Khris Middleton and Brook Lopez to make another run with this group of players.
