Khris Middleton Ready to Begin Second Stint on Washington Wizards

The Washington Wizards are set to kick off the 2026-27 regular season on Wednesday when the Milwaukee Bucks arrive, giving head coach Brian Keefe a chance to finally usher in a new era of basketball inside Capital One Arena.

While last season's trade deadline into the offseason brought several new, impact pieces back to the organization in Trae Young, Anthony Davis and AJ Dybantsa, it also brought a familiar piece back to the organization.

A six-team trade sent point guard D'Angelo Russell to the Memphis Grizzlies with Khris Middleton returning to Washington just five months after being part of the Anthony Davis trade that sent the veteran wing to the Dallas Mavericks. Though Middleton's 48 games with the Wizards came during the front office's rebuilding efforts, Washington did find success when he was available after the team went .500 over his last 22 appearances including winning in three of his last four games prior to the trade. After averaging 10.7 points across 14 appearances in 2024-25, Middleton averaged 10.3 points in 34 appearances last season in roughly the same minutes each season.

Though he returns to the organization as part of a logjam at the wing, head coach Brian Keefe made clear that the former NBA champion is going to be a "big part of what we do this year" in his preseason press conference, crediting Middleton's defensive IQ and scoring versatility.

"What I've learned about Khris is obviously you know the type of scorer he is, but type of playmaker is," head coach Brian Keefe said of Middleton.

Now, with AJ Dybantsa sidelined for his rookie debut, Middleton will have a bigger opportunity to be part of the solution in the wing rotation against his former team on Wednesday night. Keefe noted the veteran was ramping up team activities through preseason before making his debut in the finale against New Orleans.

There are still existing connections to the organization roughly 18 months after his departure. Taylor Jenkins, now the head coach of the Bucks, spent the 2018-19 season as an assistant while Middleton was in Milwaukee before being named the Memphis Grizzlies' next head coach ahead of 2019-20. Ryan Rollins, Alex Green, Jericho Sims and Gary Trent Jr. were also all on the Bucks' roster at the time Middleton's 13 year tenure with the organization came to an end after being traded to the Washington Wizards as part of a four-team trade that shipped Kyle Kuzma to Milwaukee.

Though Wednesday will likely be met with some nerves as Middleton admitted he gets "butterflies before every game," the regular season opener will be about beginning to reshape the narrative around the organization with the players shying away from placing expectations on 2026-27. 

"Just excitement. I've always been told that when you're nervous or anxious about something, it just means you care," Middleton told local media on Tuesday. "I don't take it as a bad thing that I get nervous or anxious before Opening Night or before any game. I just love playing."