After playing 14 first-half minutes on Thursday against Indiana, forward Khris Middleton was ruled out for the second half due to right knee soreness, the Wizards announced (via Twitter).
In his post-game press conference, head coach Brian Keefe said Middleton would undergo an MRI on his right knee, per Chase Hughes of Monumental Sports Network (Twitter link).
It’s unfortunate news for the three-time All-Star, who was traded to Washington last month after spending 10-plus seasons in Milwaukee. Middleton was a key part of the Bucks’ championship run in 2022, but his career has been derailed by a series of injuries the past few seasons.
The 33-year-old has appeared in just 36 combined games in 2024/25, averaging 12.0 points, 3.8 rebounds and 4.1 assists on .476/.362/.866 shooting in 23.0 minutes per contest. That’s the fewest minutes he’s averaged since he was a rookie with Detroit back in ’12/13.
Middleton holds a $33.3MM player option for ’25/26 that he’s widely expected to exercise.
In other Wizards injury news, forward Anthony Gill was also ruled out for the remainder of Thursday’s game after playing three minutes in the first half. He’s dealing with left hip soreness, per the team (Twitter link).