mlloyd10 wrote:Texas Chuck wrote:mlloyd10 wrote:[
Man, you guys are all selling Middleton short...Holy cow.
Or maybe you remember all the great stuff he has done for the Bucks and are missing the obvious decline that the organization obviously sees.
I love Middleton. I have championed him on this board all the way back to his Pistons days when I used to post deals bringing him to Dallas because I could see there was more to be unleashed.
But he's in decline. Sucks, but it happens to everyone eventually. Like
usual our analysis isn't anti-your player or your team because its not as glowing as yours. But naturally that's the only conclusion some of you ever reach....
No one is denying that he is declining, but the guy just put up 25/8/5 in the playoffs being force to be the #1 option.
If is was as simple as Middleton and the 2031 1st, sure....Its the secondary pieces
Your Analysis is your opinion
You're using a 6-game sample -- pre-surgery on both ankles -- and omitting the injury-riddled seasons leading up to this one where Middleton's output was significantly below what he had managed in previous seasons. No one is saying Middleton is a scrub, but not even Middleton's mom believes Khris is going to play 75 games and average those playoff numbers over a season in what remains of his contract.
If the Bucks believe Middleton still has it, they have no reason to move him for Butler regardless of what the trade package is. On the other hand, Miami has no reason to deal Butler to Milwaukee if they don't think they're getting fair value for Butler.
I don't know how serious the Bucks' interest for Butler is, but unless Butler is willing to sign for the minimum or take some outrageous pay cut, acquiring Butler doesn't get easier in the summer for any team except Brooklyn and Houston (who would need to renounce their team option on VanVleet to create ~$30M in space). So, Miami still has a fair amount of leverage and likely more than 1 suitor for Butler.
