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ESPN Senior Writer- Tim Bontemps is a senior NBA writer for ESPN.com who covers the league and what's impacting it on and off the court, including trade deadline intel, expansion and his MVP Straw Polls. You can find Tim alongside Brian Windhorst and Tim MacMahon on The Hoop Collective podcast.
LAS VEGAS -- Milwaukee Bucks All-Star forward Khris Middleton underwent surgery to repair a torn ligament in his left wrist in early July and is expected to be fully recovered to return sometime near the start of the regular season, sources told ESPN on Tuesday.
Middleton, who will turn 31 next month, averaged 20.1 points, 5.4 rebounds and 5.4 assists in 66 games with Milwaukee last season and was selected to his third All-Star Game. He helped lead the Bucks -- alongside two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jrue Holiday -- to the 2020-21 NBA championship.
Middleton missed the final 10 games of Milwaukee's playoff run this past spring after suffering a sprain of his medial collateral ligament in his left knee in Game 2 of the Bucks' first-round series with the Chicago Bulls.
Milwaukee went on to lose in seven games to the eventual Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics in the second round.
This offseason, the Bucks re-signed forward Bobby Portis and guards Wesley Matthews and Jevon Carter and added veteran swingman Joe Ingles on a one-year deal. Ingles is unlikely to be ready to start the season after suffering a torn ACL in January while still with Utah.
Milwaukee dealt with a series of injuries throughout the 2021-22 season, including to center Brook Lopez, who missed most of the regular season after undergoing back surgery.
