dollar forward Chris Middleton He is not expected to be active in the team's regular-season opener Wednesday against Philadelphia, sources tell ESPN's Shams Charania. Middleton spent the offseason recovering from surgical procedures on both ankles, and the team is taking a cautious approach to his return this fall, Charania explains.

Although Middleton recently expressed a desire to play in more than 70 games during the 2024-25 season, it's no big surprise that he isn't quite ready for the start of the regular season. He did not appear in any preseason contests or as head coach Doc Rivers said Saturday that the three-time All-Star would need to play 5-on-5 before Wednesday to be fit for opening night (Twitter link via Eric Nehm of The Athletic).

The Bucks have not yet issued an official update on Middleton, but it sounds like he will likely be considered an everyday player going forward and has a chance to make his season debut before the end of the month. However, these are just my speculations based on comments from Rivers and recent reports. So we'll keep an eye out for more news on the 33-year-old's status.

Here's more from around Central:

• The Wisconsin herd, the dollar' G League partner, acquired the return rights Justify Winslow And Darryl Morsell from the Raptors 905 in exchange for the rights Wenyen Gabriel, Marques BoldenAnd Deonte Burtonplus the No. 15 pick in this year's G League draft, according to Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca (Twitter links). As Murphy notes, several of these players are currently competing overseas, but Milwaukee signed Winslow to an Exhibit 10 contract in the preseason – securing his rights means he is now eligible for an Exhibit 10 bonus worth $77, $5,000 if he spends at least $60 days with the herd.
• The Cavaliers were much better than Max Strus He was on the court last season when he it wasn't Strus recovering from an ankle injury. Fedor views Dean Wade as the favorite to replace Strus in the starting lineup as he is a solid defender and strong three-point shooter. Caris LeVertThe ball-dominant game fits better into the second unit, suggests Fedor Isaac Okoro is another candidate for the starting eleven.
• Lonzo Ball, Matas BuzelisAnd Julian Phillips are some of them Bulls Players whose preseason performances gave cause for optimism heading into the season, The Athletic's Darnell Mayberry writes in his latest stock report. On the other hand, off-season additions Josh Giddey And Jalen Smith and newly signed striker Patrick Williams As Mayberry explains, October has been changeable so far.
• Jaden Ivey saw his role reduced Monty Williams last season, but the Pistons The guard is once again an offensive focus under the new head coach JB Bickerstaffsays Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press (subscriber link). Ivey was the Pistons' leading scorer in the preseason and was praised by Bickerstaff for his performances. “He works hard and then plays with confidence” Detroit's coach said this earlier this month. “If you work as hard as he did and put in the same amount of time and then play with that confidence and belief, the work will pay off.”