NBA Rumors: Lakers And Four Other NBA Teams Emerge As Potential Landing Spots For Khris Middleton In 2019


Khris Middleton is currently focused on helping the Milwaukee Bucks win the NBA championship title in the 2018-19 NBA season. However, when the season is over, the 27-year-old small forward will need to address his NBA future. Middleton has a player option on his contract that will enable him to become an unrestricted free agent next July.

With his current performance, Khris Middleton is expected to become one of the most coveted superstars in the 2019 NBA free agency. This season, Middleton is averaging 19.4 points, 5,5 rebounds, 4.4 assists, and 1.4 steals on 46.0 percent shooting from the field and 42.3 percent from beyond the arc. According to Sean Deveney of Sporting News, several NBA teams could explore the possibility of signing Middleton next summer. These include the Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers, Dallas Mavericks, New York Knicks, and the Cleveland Cavaliers.

“There will be opportunities to explore — both the Lakers and Clippers, sources say, will have interest in Middleton, and he’ll have options with rebuilding teams such as New York, Dallas, and Cleveland. Either way, Middleton will get something around a five-year, $190 million deal from Milwaukee, or a four-year, $140 million contract to sign elsewhere. There’s still plenty of time, but here in the depths of the early season, Middleton is shaping up to be one of the most interesting players of next summer. It’s a foregone conclusion that Middleton will opt out because he is slated to double his payday if he does.”

Since acquiring LeBron James in the recent free agency, Lakers President of Basketball Operations Magic Johnson and General Manager Rob Pelinka revealed that they are not yet done in upgrading their roster. They filled their roster with one-year contracts in order to maintain their salary cap flexibility for the summer of 2019. If the Lakers fail to sign their top targets like Kawhi Leonard, Klay Thompson, and Kevin Durant, it will not be a surprise if they end up using their max slot to bring Khris Middleton to Los Angeles.

Meanwhile, the Clippers, Mavericks, Knicks, and the Cavaliers could also open a huge chunk of their salary cap space after the 2018-19 NBA season which could enable them to offer Khris Middleton a decent contract. By joining the Clippers or the Mavericks, Middleton will still be able to compete in the playoffs, while in Cleveland or New York, he is set to become part of a rebuilding team.

While Middleton is expected to gain plenty of interest in the 2019 NBA free agency, Deveney revealed that the Bucks are planning to be aggressive when it comes to re-signing the veteran forward next July. As everyone knows, the Bucks are the only NBA team that can offer Middleton a five-year, $190 million contract next summer.

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