As Dallas Mavericks forward Khris Middleton plans to stay with the team, it came after some questions regarding the next chapter in the veteran's NBA journey. While Middleton's future with the Mavericks was talked about, especially heading into the buyout market, this NBA insider goes into why the 34-year-old decided to stay where he is, instead of going to the Denver Nuggets, who had interest.
Marc Stein would go into the information he gathered around Middleton's situation on “The Stein Line,” including the player himself saying to him earlier last week that he would “keep his options open.” However, that has led Middleton to stay in Dallas, with the primary reason not wanting to “sacrifice his Bird rights.”
“I'm guessing you probably followed my tweets all week on the Khris Middleton front,” Stein wrote. “On Saturday night, I reported that Middleton — after telling me that he would keep his options open into the weekend regarding a possible buyout — had pledged to stay in Dallas for the rest of the season.”
“He could have pushed for a buyout to join the very interested Nuggets or another playoff-bound team, but Middleton would have been forced to sacrifice his Bird rights in the process,” Stein continued. “Retaining his Bird rights means that Middleton keeps himself eligible for a potential sign-and-trade this summer.”
The Mavericks are interested in bringing back Khris Middleton
With Middleton weighing his options last week with the Mavericks, the ultimate decision was to stay, as he's played in eight games for the franchise after being traded from the Washington Wizards in the Anthony Davis deal. Though the Bird rights make him eligible to be in a sign-and-trade, Stein does report that “Dallas has interest in bringing Middleton back next season.”
“I'm also told Dallas has interest in bringing Middleton back next season, depending on the state of the roster come July,” Stein wrote. “Such is the positive impression Middleton has made as a Maverick in the short time since he was acquired in the Anthony Davis deal on deadline day less than a month ago.”
It remains to be seen what the future holds for Middleton.
