Milwaukee Bucks: 4 Teams that can steal Brook Lopez in NBA free agency

After completely revitalizing his career with the Milwaukee Bucks, big man Brook Lopez is more than likely going to be a hot commodity in free agency. That’s bad news for the Bucks because he could command a contract that they might not be able to afford.

Lopez, who’s set to enter free agency this coming offseason, is one of the best rim protectors in the league. The Defensive Player of the Year runner-up led the NBA in blocks in 2022-23, and he is a major reason why the Bucks have one of the best defenses in the league. Lopez can also score points in a variety of ways: he can shoot 3-pointers, he can score in the post, and he can finish lobs.

After his back surgery this season, Lopez is also somehow now a much better defender in space, able to leverage his size to be able to defend the pick-and-roll effectively, even despite his lack of lateral quickness. This has made him a much more valuable asset on both ends of the floor.

Lopez, who made $13 million in his final contract year with the Milwaukee Bucks, could be looking to secure a hefty bag before his game starts to decline at 35. Milwaukee does have bird rights on him, but it will take a bit of a discount for the Bucks to retain both Lopez and star swingman Khris Middleton. Many teams will be looking to get the big man, and, with that said, let us look at four teams who could snag Lopez from the Milwaukee Bucks.

No. 4 – Los Angeles Lakers

Despite what the statistics say about their roster construction now, the Lakers are in need of a center, and Lopez would be a perfect fit for them.

Los Angeles finished the regular season with a defensive rating of 113.2 points per 100 possessions, which was tied for 13th in the league. But their 52.8 opponent points in the paint given up per game was good for 23rd.

Signing Lopez would give them a rim protector and a stretch big man who can space the floor for LeBron James and Anthony Davis, whose natural playing position has always been at the power forward slot.

The Lakers bowed out to the Denver Nuggets in a four-game sweep in the Western Conference Finals due in large part to the gargantuan contributions of Nikola Jokic. Lopez has always been one of the better defenders against more traditional centers around the league: he’s held guys like Joel Embiid and Nikola Vucevic to below 44 percent efficiency in the times they’ve met this season, according to matchup data on NBA.com/stats.

Los Angeles is also in dire need of more scoring options. Lopez was never known as a great shooter early in his career, but he has made a concerted effort to improve his range in recent years. He is now a career 36.5 percent 3-point shooter, and he has been even better this season, shooting 39.3 percent from beyond the arc.

With James’ possible retirement looming on the horizon, the Lakers might be forced to spend big money on win-now moves to maximize the time they have left with their core. The Lakers have the cap space to offer Lopez a big contract.