July 12, 2023
Middleton underwent a surgical procedure on his right knee shortly after the Bucks lost to Heat in the first round of the playoffs in late April,
Tim Bontemps of ESPN.com reports.
ANALYSIS
According to the report, Middleton is expected to make a full recovery from the procedure and resume working out at some point in July, so his availability for training camp in the fall isn't expected to be affected. Even though Middleton was plagued by knee issues throughout the 2022-23 campaign, the Bucks were apparently comfortable enough with his long-term health outlook to sign the veteran forward to a two-year, $59.7 million contract last week, with the deal also including a $33.3 million player option for 2025-26. Middleton's numbers declined across the board from 2021-22 to 2022-23 while he was under significant minutes restrictions upon making his season debut in December, but he performed well during the five-game playoff series with Miami, averaging 23.8 points, 6.4 rebounds and 6.2 assists in 34.6 minutes per contest while shooting 40.6 percent from three-point range.