Khris Middleton had arthroscopic surgery on his right knee after the Milwaukee Bucks were eliminated from the NBA playoffs in the first round, according to The Athletic. It was a clean-up procedure, per the report, and it was planned before the season ended.
Middleton appeared in only 33 games last season due to a variety of injuries. He was sidelined at the beginning of the season while he recovered from left wrist surgery, and, after getting back on the court in early December, he was sidelined again two weeks later because of right knee soreness.
The Bucks managed Middleton's minutes over the course of the regular season, but his per-minute stats were largely in line with his All-Star seasons, save for an uptick in assists (a career-high 7.3 per 36 minutes) and a decline in 3-point shooting (31.5%), the latter of which he mitigated by making 52% of his long 2s, per Cleaning The Glass. Middleton was not quite himself on defense, though, likely because he was always dealing with some level of discomfort in his knee.
Middleton, who turns 32 in August, could be one of the biggest free agents on the market this summer. He has a $40.4 million player option for the 2023-24 season, which comes with a June 21 deadline. If he opts out, Milwaukee would be able to offer him a new contract as long as five years worth as much as $272 million, and other teams with cap space would be able to offer him up to $202 million over four years.
The surgery was minor, and Middleton is expected to be back on the court in July, according to The Athletic.
