Khris Middleton is going back to Washington. The three-time All-Star agreed to a three-year, $17.6 million deal with the Washington Wizards on Tuesday via a sign-and-trade with the Dallas Mavericks, returning to a team where he spent parts of the past two seasons as a veteran presence and locker room leader alongside Anthony Davis and Trae Young.
The deal is the centerpiece of a six-team transaction involving the Mavericks, Wizards, Clippers, Pistons, Bucks and Grizzlies, folding together multiple previously agreed-upon deals, including the LeVert-for-Prince trade Detroit completed with Milwaukee earlier in the day.
Washington sends D'Angelo Russell, a 2029 second-round pick and a 2032 second-round pick swap to Memphis in the deal.
Dallas sends Middleton to Washington. The Grizzlies are expected to move Russell quickly.
He exercised his $5.97 million player option but was not part of Washington's plans.
Middleton, 34, averaged 10.2 points on 36 percent from three across 63 games split between Washington and Dallas last season.
He was part of the Anthony Davis trade deadline deal that sent him to Dallas in February, now he circles back to D.C. In his prime with Milwaukee he co-starred alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo and won the 2021 championship, averaging 23.6 points per game in those Finals.
That version of Middleton is not what Washington is getting.
What they are getting is a veteran with 80 playoff games of experience, a reliable perimeter shooter and a winning presence around AJ Dybantsa and a team trying to take the next step.
Of the six teams in the deal, Middleton has played for four of them. Only the Clippers and Grizzlies are new to him.