9 Potential Boston Celtics free agent targets with ties to Jayson Tatum
By Tyler Watts
4. Khris Middleton
Tatum and Middleton are no strangers to doing battle in the postseason. It was Tatum’s Celtics that won the first meeting in the opening round in 2018. The Bucks came back to win in five games in 2019 before being knocked out in the conference finals. Milwaukee won the championship in 2021, but it was the Celtics who knocked out the defending champs the following year in seven games.
Tatum and Middleton were teammates at the 2019 World Cup and 2020 Olympics. Both came off the bench behind Kevin Durant and Devin Booker as Team USA won the gold medal in Tokyo. Tatum was the team’s sixth man and second-leading scorer as Middleton played more of a complementary role for the Americans.
Khris Middleton has a $40.4 million player option for next season that he is expected to decline to become an unrestricted free agent. Will the Bucks bring him back after a disappointing year? Milwaukee has a decision to make on Brook Lopez too, and their roster could be incredibly pricey if they bring back both players.
With Tatum and Jaylen Brown in Boston, the Celtics are set on the wings, but crazier things have happened in the NBA. Expect Middleton to get a massive contract this summer for some team. The only question is where?