Mavericks' latest breakout could lead to interesting offseason conundrum

Khris Middleton just poured in 35 points off the bench for the Dallas Mavericks, helping lead them to a 120-112 win over the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday night. It was an impressive showing, but one that could contribute to a growing Mavericks problem (or question): Should they re-sign Middleton this summer?

Since joining the Mavericks at the deadline, Middleton has been an impressive piece for them. Though he’s entering the twilight years of his career, Middleton seems like an ideal bench scorer for the Mavericks. Still, Dallas will have to weigh their options when summertime comes around.

Will Middleton stick around? Or should the Mavs let him walk?

Khris Middleton making Mavericks' summer decisions hard

Middleton joined the Mavericks by way of the Anthony Davis trade. Dallas received Middleton, AJ Johnson, Malaki Branham, Marvin Bagley III, and draft capital.

Meanwhile, they shipped out Davis, Jaden Hardy, D’Angelo Russell, and Dante Exum in the deal. Middleton was the main chunk of salary that Washington sent back in the deal.

For the most part, he was seen as a salary filler. A guy to make the money work so the Wizards could make the trade happen. But Middleton has actually been solid for the Mavericks.

On Wednesday night against the Grizzlies, Middleton played 24:42 off the bench. He finished the game with 35 points, two rebounds, one assist, and two steals while shooting a ridiculous 10-of-17 from the field and 8-of-10 from beyond the three-point line.

Middleton has already appeared in 14 games for the Mavericks this season, starting in 10 of them and playing 24.7 minutes per contest.

In those games, Middleton has averaged 13.8 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 2.9 assists while shooting 45.1% from the field and 41.3% from deep on 3.3 three-point attempts per contest.

However, Middleton is in the final year of his contract. He will be an unrestricted free agent this summer, meaning any team around the league could sign him.

And since the Mavericks are currently entering a rebuilding phase, spearheaded by rookie sensation Cooper Flagg, it may not make sense for them to bring Middleton back.

At the same time, he could be a nice veteran mentor to have on the team, and he could help Flagg and company win more games earlier in his career.

That means the Mavericks will have some tough decisions to make this summer, and games like Middleton’s 35-point showing will only make their choices even more difficult.