Khris Middleton linked to two teams amid buyout rumors

Khris Middleton may be getting a realistic chance this year of competing for his second career NBA championship.

The Dallas Mavericks forward Middleton has been mentioned as a potential buyout candidate as the team continues to sink, Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints reported on Friday. Though the Mavericks themselves are signaling that they would like to keep Middleton for the remainder of the season, two teams are said to be at the front of the line if Middleton does get bought out — the Denver Nuggets and the San Antonio Spurs.

Now 34 years old, Middleton is a three-time NBA All-Star who was a major part of the Milwaukee Bucks’ 2021 championship team. But he was traded to the Washington Wizards last year as part of the Kyle Kuzma deal and then eventually sent to Dallas earlier this month as part of the Anthony Davis trade.

Overall on the season, Middleton has averaged 11.0 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 3.2 assists per game over 40 total appearances between Washington and Dallas. He is also in the final year of his contract at a sizable $33.3 million.

The Mavericks do not have much basketball reason to keep Middleton around, either. With roughly a month-and-a-half left in the regular season, Dallas’ postseason hopes are all but toast at 21-37 (12th in the Western Conference).

Meanwhile, Denver is No. 4 in the West at 37-22, and San Antonio is No. 2 in the West at 43-16. Middleton has had some troubling injury woes in recent years, but would still have a lot to offer to either of those contending teams as an efficient one-on-one scorer.