The Boston Celtics are among the teams monitoring veteran forward Khris Middleton. After being traded to the Dallas Mavericks on February 5, 2026, he is widely expected to hit the buyout market. Middleton, 34, is currently on a $33.3 million expiring contract for the 2025-26 season after picking up his player option with the Washington Wizards, who traded him to Dallas. His potential availability offers an intriguing, if complicated, proposition for a Celtics team looking to fine-tune its roster around its core.

Middleton's current contract, a three-year, $102 million deal signed with the Milwaukee Bucks in July 2023, carried a player option for the 2025-26 season. After being traded from the Bucks to the Wizards in February 2025, and then again to the Mavericks in February 2026, he has seen his role diminish. In his lone season with the Wizards, Middleton appeared in just 14 games, averaging 10.7 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 3.4 assists. While those numbers are a far cry from his All-Star peak in Milwaukee, his career 38.5% three-point shooting still offers valuable spacing.

From a pure basketball perspective, a buyout-market Middleton presents a low-risk, potentially high-reward scenario for the Celtics. His ability to shoot the three at a high clip and offer secondary playmaking, even in a reduced capacity, addresses clear needs. The Celtics' offense thrives on spacing and ball movement, and Middleton's high basketball IQ would allow him to quickly integrate into their intricate offensive sets. While his defensive foot speed is a concern at 34, especially after a series of injuries, the Celtics' robust team defense could help mask some of those limitations, utilizing him more as a spot-up shooter and secondary creator.

The Celtics' front office, led by Brad Stevens, has consistently shown a knack for maximizing value and navigating complex cap situations. They entered the 2025-26 season projected to be out of the luxury tax entirely, a significant shift from the previous season. Their expected salary for the 2026-27 season is around $188 million, with the tax line at $201 million. Acquiring Middleton via buyout would likely mean signing him to a veteran minimum or a similarly team-friendly deal, which is critical given Boston's existing financial commitments and their desire to avoid the second apron.

The immediate next step for Middleton is to formalize his buyout with the Mavericks, which is widely anticipated. Once he clears waivers, he will become an unrestricted free agent. The Celtics, like any other interested contender, would then be able to negotiate a contract. The timing of this, likely in the coming weeks, will coincide with other teams also looking to bolster their rosters with veteran talent before the start of the 2026-27 season. Boston possesses a $5.5 million bi-annual exception and a full mid-level exception of $15 million, though using the latter would hard-cap them at the first apron.