Milwaukee Bucks’ notebook: Middleton player option and NBA Draft
The NBA offseason is about to takeoff. The 2023 NBA Draft tips-off on Thursday night and free agency begins on June 30. It’s time for the Milwaukee Bucks to make some moves.
The Bucks face a crossroads this season. Thanks to the horribly negotiated new CBA, Milwaukee will have to walk a tight rope when it comes to filling out their roster. Khris Middleton and Brook Lopez are the two big-name free agents, but they desperately need help on the wings and to settle their (backup) point guard position.
There are a lot of rumors swirling around the NBA and the Bucks have been involved in a couple of them. They threw their hat in the Bradley Beal sweepstakes before falling short and are rumored to be looking to acquire another draft pick. Oh, and the whole Middleton ordeal.
Let’s dive into their current status and what we know now.
The latest updates about the Milwaukee Bucks, including Khris Middleton declining his player option and the 2023 NBA Draft.
Khris Middleton
Middleton officially declined his 2023-24 player option that would’ve paid him $40.4 million. He’s still in a window where he can re-sign with the Bucks, but I don’t expect that to happen. If he did so right now, next year’s salary would have to be the same or more than the option he declined.
The most-likely scenario (and best one of the Bucks) is the two sides agree to a contract once free agency begins on June 30. This would allow Milwaukee to re-sign him to a deal for less money next year. Milwaukee has about $50 million to work with when it comes to re-signing Middleton and Lopez, while also retaining thier ability to use the Taxpayer Mid-Level Exception for $5 million. That’s the tightest of tight ropes to balance.
2023 NBA Draft
I don’t blame you if you weren’t aware the NBA Draft is tonight. That’s been Milwaukee’s situation for the past several years, as they’ve emptied the cupboard of any draft picks in order to acquire players that can boost their postseason runs.
Milwaukee wakes up with only one selection in this year’s draft: the 58th overall pick (it’s actually the last pick in the draft but the Philadelphia 76ers and Chicago Bulls forfeited second-rounders). There have been rumblings from The Athletic that they want to move up into the late first, early second.
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General manager Jon Horst has been active throughout his tenure, but it’s difficult to see how they pull that off. They lack any sort of draft picks to trade, holding only three future seconds (including tonight’s 58th pick) and one future first that are tradeable. A maneuver might cost them someone like Grayson Allen.