There were murmurs about the Houston Rockets being a potential landing spot for Milwaukee Bucks free agent Brook Lopez, but it looks like that won't be the case after all. According to ESPN's Shams Charania, Rockets big man Steven Adams has inked a three-year extension worth $39 million. With Adams on the roster, Houston likely will not spend big on another center.
Rockets update is good news for other Lopez suitors
Outside of Myles Turner and Naz Reid, who are two free agents likely to stick with their current teams, Adams was among the most desirable soon-to-be free agent big men this summer. Countless teams had him circled on their wish list, but now, they must pivot. A lot of teams gunning for Adams may now turn their attention to Brook Lopez. A bidding war for Brook Lopez's services may be on the horizon.
Even at 37, Lopez can still help. He might not be the sweet-shooting, defensive menace that he has been for most of his Milwaukee Bucks tenure, but the big man can still help on both ends in spurts. For a team hunting for center help, he absolutely makes sense as a target. The big question is how much a potential suitor might be willing to pay.
The two most prominent names floating around as Lopez suitors are the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Lakers. Both teams do indeed have a giant hole in the frontcourt and could benefit from adding a seasoned big man. From a realistic standpoint, it would make sense if either made a hard push to sign the center away from Milwaukee, especially with Houston off the list.
Of course, there's also a chance the Milwaukee Bucks want to keep Lopez for themselves. It's unclear how exactly they feel about the big man, but a bidding war could see them move on as they aim to fix other parts of the roster. It would sting due to how much Lopez means to the franchise, but ushering in a new era embracing a faster style of play post-Lopez would make sense for the Bucks.
It also certainly wouldn't hurt if the team landing Brook Lopez forged a sign-and-trade with the Bucks, allowing Milwaukee to get some form of assets in return. Again, perhaps that could come down to just how much a team might be willing to pay for his services.
Stay tuned for more Milwaukee Bucks analysis.