The Washington Wizards love themselves some Khris Middleton.
Look wherever you want, on and off the court, for proof. He started all 48 outings he participated in over two fragmented tours with the last pair of Wizards rosters, and the franchise liked him so much that they elected to bring him back to town in a sign-and-trade mere months after dealing him to the Dallas Mavericks for Anthony Davis. Except now, he’s finally shed the onerous contract that once defined his trade value, with a more reasonable bargain enabling Washington’s coaches to use the now-flexible veteran however they see fit.
To a lot of fans, Wizards head coach Brian Keefe‘s claim that “trust me, Khris Middleton is going to be a big part of what we do this year” means that he’ll offer much more than simple veteran expertise from the bench’s fringe with AJ Dybantsa and Kyshawn George likely elevating into the starting wing spots he once enjoyed.
For as many minute-worthy prospects line the rotation to come, there’s a good chance that Middleton will be leaned upon as a calming scoring presence more than outsiders may have assumed when he opted to return to D.C.
His Wizards shooting splits of 42.7% from the field and 31.5% from 3-point range will impress few viewers that he’s still the same ol’ reliable late-game option that he was with the Milwaukee Bucks, but that hasn’t stopped Washington from regularly deploying the wing over numerous key fourth quarters amidst his journeying into his mid-30s.
At the very least, he knows exactly where to go in hunting for his own buckets, pulling up from midrange territory with ease if an easy swing pass or entry feed isn’t open. Keefe surely won’t say no to an extra ball-handler to ease the burdens of his other veterans and the still-developing pieces padding his lineups; if he’s a rotational quantity, though, the question now turns to which peer he’s pushing out of the way among fellow positional options who filled in for his post-trade absence last spring.
With recent lottery talents such as Bilal Coulibaly and Tre Johnson likely to continue producing as younger, lengthier guards angling to continue adding to their respective games, the first name that most fans started immediately worrying about regarding a potential minutes crunch was Justin Champagnie. After all, he’s been the contributor who’s most-frequently had to deal with the rotation’s short straw.
Despite repeatedly-hassling opponents as a voracious defender and rebounder, the forward’s streaky shot and lack of that same draft-based upside has held Champagnie back from immediately making his influence felt over Wizards seasons past. Even though he’d go on to crack 69 appearances over the 2025-26 campaign, he effectively sat out the short string of October outings while Keefe organized his ducks in a row.
Keefe ensured that Champagnie, like Middleton, will play a distinct role in the Wizards’ equation to come, though he seems intent on his hustler remaining ready for whenever he’s called to deliver his usual impact should no clear hierarchical role emerge by the regular season’s tip-off.
“I think depth matters, things are gonna happen in the NBA…you want guys competing for spots. Opportunities are gonna arise, you don’t know when all that stuff’s gonna happen. That’s part of the deal with the NBA,” he told On SI. “I know Justin Champagnie’s gonna have a big impact. Any time he’s on the court, I have huge trust in him. He does really valuable things to any lineup he plays with. He’s done that since he’s got here. He will continue to do that.”
The aforementioned names, along with another prospect in Will Riley, will likely spend the season’s early goings vying for limited opportunities, granting Washington’s bolstered coaching staff with the luxury of numerous contributors of varying experience levels to choose between. And as enticing as some of the fan base’s deep cuts remain as breakout candidates, the masses should start preparing for the sage Middleton to regularly-emerge as a well-versed problem-solver off of the Wizards’ bench to start the fall.
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