NBA
The Milwaukee Bucks have a ‘strong desire’ to retain Brook Lopez who will be an unrestricted free agent this summer
Zach Wolpin is an NBA and NFL expert who's been betting on the league for over three years now. Wolpin has been a fan of the NBA and has been watching for a decade and a half. He covers the latest news and stories surrounding the league daily. His passion in life is watching sports and being able to share that through his sports writing. He has written about the NBA and other sports leagues through various media outlets over the years like Sir Charles In Charge, G-Men HQ, and TAP into South Plainfield. Before he became an NBA News Writer, Wolpin attended Montclair State University where he graduated in 2021. He studied Sports Media and Writing while in school.
All posts by Zach WolpinUpdated19 Jun 2023
This offseason, the Milwaukee Bucks have some in-house contracts they need to take care of. It’s been reported that Milwaukee wants to keep its championship core intact. Michael Scotto of HoopsHype noted that Brook Lopez and the Bucks have a mutual interest in a return. He just recently turned 35 and wants to finish out his career with the Bucks.
Lopez will become an unrestricted free agent this offseason after being under contract for four seasons with Milwaukee. The maximum contract he can sign with the Bucks is a three-year, $54 million extension. He’s stated that he wanted a raise this offseason.
His new projected contract would be $5 million more per season than what he earns now. Lopez is ineligible to sign a four-year deal due to the (over-38-rule). He would turn 38 in his next contract. This offseason, the one-time all-star is also getting attention from the Houston Rockets. They are a young team that is looking to add veteran talent through free agency.
The Bucks reportedly have a “strong desire” to retain Brook Lopez in free agency. Here’s what a potential deal could look like:https://t.co/iHhU4sBzBZ
— Bucks Nation (@BucksNationCP) June 19, 2023
Milwaukee has made it clear that they want to retain Brook Lopez for the future
Last season, Brook Lopez played (30.4) minutes per game, the most since his 2015-16 season with Brooklyn. Additionally, he was tied for the second-most blocks per game (2.5) this past season. Early on in his career, Lopez was not known for his defensive abilities. Since joining the Bucks, he’s become one of the league’s best defensive big men.
In 78 games played during the 2022-23 regular season, he averaged (15.9) points, (6.7) rebounds, (1.3) assists, and (2.5) blocks. This past season, Lopez was part of a Milwaukee squad that owned the NBA’s best regular season record. Despite that, they were bounced by the Miami Heat in five games during the first round.
That resulted in head coach Mike Budenholzer being fired. Reports came out that Giannis Antetokounmpo was endorsing Adrian Griffin to be the team’s next head coach. That is who they ended up hiring. If the Bucks can keep their championship core intact, they are still one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference.
