The Phoenix Suns entered the race to sign Jonathan Kuminga in an attempt to rebuild their roster around Devin Booker after Kevin Durant’s departure. Their depth chart shows they have tremendous depth in the guard and center positions, but need some solid rotation pieces to go alongside Dillon Brooks and Ryan Dunn in the wings position.
Considering that the Warriors now seem to have shut down all trade talks for Kuminga, they could pivot to the former NBA champion, Khris Middleton, to fulfill that role on the team. Middleton’s future with the Wizards has been in question as he enters the final year of his contract through a player option, and the team is looking to rebuild around Alex Sarr.
It is very unlikely that the Wizards will get any value for Middleton in the trade market, making him a prime candidate to be bought out by the team. According to Bovada, the Suns are considered betting favorites to land Khris Middleton, especially if the Wizards buy him out.
The Suns have finally managed to come below the second apron threshold after agreeing to a buyout with Bradley Beal. It is unlikely they will take on Middleton’s contract unless he is bought out by the Wizards.
Middleton has a $33,296,296 salary for the coming season, while Kuminga is expecting a salary of $25 million or more. While the Suns are only $6 million below the first apron at the moment, with a lot of dead money in their salary cap for the season.
The only way Jonathan Kuminga and Khris Middleton could both land on the Suns is if they trade for Kuminga and sign Middleton after he is bought out. Otherwise, it is financially unfeasible for the Suns to be looking at both targets.
The former NBA champion averaged 11.9 points, 4.1 assists, and 3.7 rebounds for the Bucks and Wizards last season. He played only 14 games for the Wizards and spent most of last season on the bench with injury issues. Middleton is no longer a franchise-altering player, so it is unlikely that the Suns will pursue him if they land Jonathan Kuminga, especially since they both play the same position as well.
However, he is a reliable scorer with veteran experience. On his good days, he can torch teams and drop 30 points with ease, if not more. But injuries have severely hurt his playing time over the past few seasons. Therefore, he seems to be a solid backup option for the Suns to pursue if their trade talks with the Warriors completely fail.
