The Milwaukee Bucks have plenty of exciting moments to look forward to next season, and their season opener should deliver one of the most special moments.
The 2025-26 season could be noteworthy for a number of reasons in Milwaukee. From the potential of it being the final year of the Giannis Antetokounmpo era to a potential bounce-back with Antetokounmpo getting the green light in every way, there will be no shortage of storylines next season.
Of course, all of the storylines recently in Milwaukee have been about the Bucks’ big moves off the floor. While Antetokounmpo is set to begin next season as a Buck, there have been various moving parts around him, including the dealing of his championship co-star at the trade deadline last season.
The Bucks shipped Khris Middleton to the Washington Wizards as part of a deal that brought Kyle Kuzma to Milwaukee. Over the final two months of the season, Middleton battled through some injuries and played in only 14 games for the Wizards.
Although Middleton played against the Bucks in his Wizards debut, he still hasn’t returned to the city he helped bring a title to in 2021. That will all change in the first game of the season, with the Bucks set to host the Wizards in the season opener on Oct. 22.
For the first time since the trade, fans will get to show their appreciation to Middleton for everything he did for the organization. With his No. 22 potentially hanging in the rafters in the not-so-distant future, it’s hard to believe that any place other than Milwaukee will ever truly be home for the former All-Star.