Milwaukee Bucks: Regrading Robin Lopez’s two-year deal from 2019
By Dalton Sell
Needing to shore up their center depth during the summer of 2019, the Milwaukee Bucks signed Robin Lopez to a deal in free agency, which was a popular move at the time.
The deal would unite the Lopez brothers in Milwaukee, as Robin would join twin brother Brook in their chase for a championship. Ultimately, that did not come to fruition as the Bucks would suffer their unfortunate collapse in the NBA bubble that season. Despite that ending, the Lopez signing sparked some optimism when it initially went down, with the team bringing in Lopez to replace a trio of big men from the previous season in John Henson, Thon Maker, and Pau Gasol. Lopez was viewed as an immediate upgrade over any of them, and rightfully so.
Former BTBP co-expert Adam McGee gave the deal a B+ at first glance. Over two years later, let us see if that grade still holds true as time has passed.
The financial value of Robin Lopez’s deal with the Milwaukee Bucks
The Bucks and Lopez agreed on a two-year deal worth $9.7 million, which was seen as a solid bid during what was a wild free agency period. As McGee noted, several big men received hefty deals in free agency, including Dewayne Dedmon getting three years and $40 million, Taj Gibson signing for two-year, $20 million, and Thomas Bryant inking a three-year deal worth $25 million. Although the Bucks did not have that kind of money, landing Lopez on a two-year deal worth just under $10 million was a big win, given his status as a household veteran.
At the time, Lopez was coming off a productive three-year stint with the Chicago Bulls, where he averaged 10.5 points and five rebounds per game. As the Bucks scoured the market for a backup big man, they paid more than a fair price to bring in Lopez. With limited financial flexibility at their disposal, the Bucks still managed to land someone who was among the best backups available at the moment at a position of need.
Two years later, the signing is still a solid one. The Bucks would ultimately only end up paying for the first year of the deal as Lopez opted out after the 2019-20 season to test free agency, which was rather surprising. Still, during that one season, Lopez managed to play a quality role for the Bucks, despite his production dipping to 5.4 points and 2.4 rebounds per game. That was rather expected as he transitioned to a full-time bench role, and the team utilized him enough to make the signing justifiable from a financial standpoint.