Khris Middleton has played in only seven games this season for the Milwaukee Bucks. It wasn't until December that he was able to make his season debut after undergoing surgery on his wrist during the summer. It wasn't long until he was out again, this time dealing with a lingering knee problem.

Middleton currently has two more years remaining on his current contract, which includes this season. The twist here is that he has a player option for 2023-24, which means that if he wanted to, he could actually walk away from the Bucks as an unrestricted free agent this summer. According to NBA insider Matt Moore of the Action Network, there's currently “burbling noise” around the NBA that Middleton could opt out of his deal in order to test the free agency market this summer.

Giannis Antetokounmpo isn't going to like this. Middleton has been the Robin to his Batman, and these two have formed quite a partnership in Milwaukee through the years. Their 2021 title is a clear testament to this fact.

However, at 31 and with his list of injuries growing, this might be Middleton's last chance to sign a big-money deal. He hasn't been very good this season, but it still wouldn't be surprising if teams from around the league show significant interest in him if he opts to become a free agent in the offseason. He would be turning down $40.4 million worth of guaranteed money from the Bucks if he opts out of his player option, though, so that too is a major factor in this predicament.

At this point, it's still very much possible that Khris Middleton remains with the Bucks for the foreseeable future. However, there's now no denying that there's a real possibility that he doesn't.