Three-time All-Star forward Khris Middleton has declined his $40 million player option with the Milwaukee Bucks to become a free agent, his agents Mike Lindeman and Jeff Schwartz told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.
A return to the Bucks on a new deal remains a possibility. Injuries have plagued Middleton since the 2022 playoffs, when he missed Milwaukee's final 10 playoff games with a sprained MCL.
He underwent left wrist surgery during last year's offseason, which sidelined him for the first 20 games of the 2022-23 season.
He returned on Dec. 2, 2022, and played six of seven games before missing 18 straight with right knee soreness. Middleton, who turns 32 in August, underwent successful surgery on his right knee shortly after Milwaukee's first-round playoff exit to address the lingering issue.