After a disappointing first-round exit in last season's playoffs, the Milwaukee Bucks are running it back in 2023-24, re-signing key cog Khris Middleton to a three-year, $102 million extension.

Milwaukee also elected to re-sign center Brook Lopez to a two-year pact, so the core of what has been one of the NBA's elite squads in recent years will remain intact.

Will Middleton Bounce Back?

This past season was something of a lost year for Middleton, who played in just 33 games due to injury. He saw his scoring average drop to 15.1 points per night after he averaged between 20.1 and 20.9 points in each of the previous three seasons. But once you account for minutes played, things look better.

On a per 36-minute basis, Middleton's scoring clip last year (22.3) was exactly the same as what he put up in 2021-22, and his .117 win shares per 48 minutes were right in line with his .119 mark from 2021-22.

Clearly, the Bucks weren't overly concerned about Middleton's 2022-23 season, and considering next year is only his age-32 campaign, Middleton should have some more good years left in the tank.

Betting Odds Impact

The Bucks' moves to re-sign Middleton and Lopez haven't moved the needle in the betting market. Prior to free agency, Milwaukee was +550 to win it all, per the NBA Finals odds at FanDuel Sportsbook. They're still listed at that +550 number, which makes them the third-favorite for the title behind the Boston Celtics (+470) and Denver Nuggets (+480).

The lack of betting odds movement isn't necessarily an indictment on Middleton or Lopez. It's likely more of an indication that the pair of them re-signing was already baked into the Bucks' pre-free agency title odds. If either had left in free agency, Milwaukee's number likely would've lengthened to some degree.

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