Khris Middleton had a chance to leave the Dallas Mavericks and chase a championship. He passed.
The veteran forward did not seek a buyout before the NBA’s deadline, keeping him in Dallas for the remainder of the season and off the free agent market that would have allowed him to sign with a contender. Now, with the season winding down, Middleton is signaling he may not be done with the Mavericks when it ends.
“For sure. I love the city of Dallas, I’ve been here before,” Middleton said when asked if he could see himself playing in Dallas beyond this season. “I like where things are headed here. I like the way they’re trying to do things here, so we’ll see what happens.”
That decision was not a simple one. Sources told Dallas Hoops Journal that Middleton was a genuine buyout candidate heading into the Sunday midnight deadline. At 34 years old, in the final year of his contract and with a championship already on his resume from Milwaukee in 2021, the appeal of chasing another ring was real. But the calculus cut the other way. The Mavericks hold Middleton’s full Bird Rights, giving Dallas the ability to offer him more money than any other team this summer or facilitate a sign-and-trade. Walking away from that financial leverage for a playoff run on a short-term deal was never the straightforward choice it may have appeared from the outside.
The Mavericks were not pushing him toward the door. Sources indicated the organization gave Middleton full support to evaluate his options; however, he saw fit to do so. He chose Dallas.
“That’s great,” Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said after the buyout deadline passed. “Looking at Khris as a vet, he’s already had some impact with us — on and off the floor. For him to be able to stay, it was great. We try not to play him 40 minutes a night, but his ability as a vet to score and to lead is something that’s needed. We’re happy he stayed.”
Khris Middleton Sees a Positive Direction
His reasoning for wanting to stay goes beyond comfort or familiarity with the city, though that is part of it.
“For sure. I love the city of Dallas, I’ve been here before,” Middleton said when asked if he could see himself playing in Dallas beyond this season. “I’m familiar with Dallas, I love the area. As far as the organization, it’s been great. I stayed here for a reason. I like where things are headed here. I like the way they’re trying to do things here, so we’ll see what happens.”
The timing of those comments matters for a Mavericks front office in transition. Dallas is in the middle of a general manager search, headed toward a draft lottery and actively trying to define what the next chapter of the franchise looks like around Cooper Flagg.
Naji Marshall, who has started alongside Middleton since the trade, offered his own read on what the veteran has brought to the group.
“He’s a vet,” Marshall said. “He helps us score, spaces the floor, makes the game easier — and he’s just an all-around good teammate. He helps us on the floor, shows us how to make the game easier. Shout out to Khris.”
What Khris Middleton Has Already Shown With the Dallas Mavericks
In seven games as a Maverick before the buyout deadline, Middleton averaged 13.9 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.9 assists on 48.5% shooting — a notable jump from the 44.3% he shot across 41 games total this season, which includes his time in Washington. His best performance in that stretch came Feb. 22 in Indiana, where he posted 25 points on 11-of-15 shooting. He also made his home debut at American Airlines Center against Sacramento, finishing with 17 points, five rebounds and four assists.
But nothing in that early sample prepared anyone for what happened March 13 at Memphis.
With Dallas clinging to an 86-84 lead heading into the fourth quarter after squandering a 20-point lead, Middleton took over. He scored 22 of his 35 points in the fourth quarter, going 7-of-9 from the field, 5-of-5 from three and 3-of-3 from the free-throw line to close out a 120-112 victory that snapped an eight-game losing streak. He opened the period with back-to-back threes, forced a foul and converted all three free throws, and FedExForum went quiet. His 35 points were the most off the bench by a Maverick since Rodrigue Beaubois scored 40 against Golden State on March 27, 2010.
“Probably after the second or third three, I felt like I was in a pretty good rhythm,” Middleton said after that performance. “The way they were coming off my hand, I was just hoping I was going to get a couple more looks, and thankfully I did. When you’re a shooter, and you get a couple to go down, you keep firing, keep letting them go.”
Kidd was direct about what that night should mean to the younger players watching.
“He didn’t waste any steps tonight,” Kidd said. “When he was open, he shot it. If they pressed up, he drove it. It was a really nice thing to watch. Just seeing a veteran take what the defense gave him — for our young group, our young players, this would be a good game to watch.”
Middleton pushed back against any suggestion that a single performance defines where his game is right now.
“If I’m out here, that means I can still play,” he said. “I’ve been known to score more in my career in the past — that was just a different role. I’m always ready for whatever role a team wants me to play. When a night like this happens, it’s a good reminder, but my nights aren’t always going to be like that.”
What a Return Would Actually Look Like
Middleton signed a three-year, $102 million contract with Milwaukee in July 2023 after declining a $40 million player option, averaging $34 million annually. He exercised his player option for this season before eventually being traded to Washington and then to Dallas. That contract expires at the end of this season, making him an unrestricted free agent this summer.
Dallas would be pursuing him on a new deal, not an extension — and the Mavericks would be competing with other teams for his services.
The Bird Rights complicate that picture in Dallas’s favor. No other team can offer Middleton what the Mavericks can on a new contract, and a sign-and-trade remains another avenue if a third team enters the picture with assets worth considering.
The Mavericks traded for Middleton as part of the Anthony Davis deal, a move that prioritized financial flexibility and long-term roster construction. Middleton staying through the buyout deadline preserved all of that leverage.
The Ball Is in the Dallas Mavericks’ Court
Whether the Mavericks pursue him this offseason will be one of the quieter but more meaningful roster decisions they face in what figures to be a busy summer.
Whoever lands the permanent general manager role — whether that is Michael Finley, Matt Riccardi, or an external hire — will have to weigh Middleton’s age, health history, and fit alongside the incoming lottery pick and whatever moves Dallas makes to build around Flagg.
Middleton has already told them where he stands. The ball is in Dallas’s court.
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