Brook Lopez has agreed to a two-year, $48 million deal to return to the Milwaukee Bucks, league sources told The Athletic on Saturday. Here’s what you need to know:
The Athletic’s instant analysis:
Why is that important?
It took longer than the Bucks wanted, but eventually they agreed a deal with Lopez to keep the veteran Big Man in Milwaukee. Along with Middleton, Lopez was the biggest player the Bucks needed to re-sign this offseason to maintain their position among the best teams in the Eastern Conference.
He has served as the anchor of the Bucks’ defense for the past five seasons. Additionally, Lopez averaged 15.9 points and 6.7 rebounds per game while posting a career-best batting average of 37.4 percent from the 3-point line last season. Bringing him back to the roster means the Bucks have successfully retained their four core players who led them to the championship in 2021. – Take
Will he be worth the contract?
Lopez’s talent is undeniable. There just aren’t many players on the planet who can do everything he did last season on both sides of the floor. But the Bucks have a new coach in Adrian Griffin who may not be willing to use Lopez in the same way as former coach Mike Budenholzer did, and that could potentially hurt Lopez’s value on both sides of the parquet.
In addition, there is at least some concern about his age and the back surgery he underwent in the 2021-22 season, but overall Lopez is incredibly talented. The contract length of just two years helps alleviate some of the concerns about Lopez’s age and injury history, but $24 million is still a good chunk of the salary cap. Lopez’s performance last season would justify such expense, but that’s a high standard to be repeated in two more seasons. – Take
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What’s next?
Lopez’s contract extension to over $20 million makes things a little more difficult for the Bucks. In an ideal world, the Bucks could have kept Middleton and Lopez on the roster for less than $50 million combined in first-year salary for the 2023-24 season. Instead, both of their contracts will likely total over $54 million, taking away some options further down the roster.
Instead of potentially being able to sign two players in the roughly $4 million range, their options will be far more limited. Ultimately, though, that’s the price the Bucks had to pay to remain in position to contend for an NBA championship. They signed their top four players and have now managed to bring back the top seven players from last year’s roster, who had the NBA’s best regular-season record before being eliminated by the Heat in the first round when Giannis Antetokounmpo was injured. – Take
backstory
Lopez began his NBA career with the Nets when the team picked him tenth overall in the 2008 draft. Over nine seasons, he averaged 10,444 points, becoming the franchise’s top scorer. In June 2017, he was traded to the Lakers – but only played for his home team for one season.
He signed with the Bucks in 2018 and has started 307 of the 310 games he has played for Milwaukee, averaging 13.2 points and 5.3 rebounds during that tenure.
Lopez underwent back surgery in December 2021 to correct what he described as a “bulging disc” in his lower back. While struggling with the injury, he missed 66 straight games from October 2021 to March 2022.
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(Photo: Benny Sieu / USA Today)