Middleton will surely opt out of his contract this summer, and could be hitting free agency at a great time if he continues the level of play he has shown this season so far. I'm very interested to see how close to his $32.7 million max the Bucks are willing to go, and if another team would be willing to should the Bucks decide to play hardball. Middleton's agent, Mike Lindeman of Excel Sports Management, will be making the case that Middleton is worth the max, but teams will be hesistant to lock Middleton in for that number. If the Bucks give Middleton the max, they will be about $24 million below the luxury tax line, and that's before re-signing Bledsoe, Brogdon, or Lopez.