On Thursday, the Los Angeles Lakers decided to part ways with center Mo Bamba and guard Malik Beasley, which will reportedly give them a bit more flexibility under the salary cap just ahead of the start of free agency.
They have been rumored to be interested in Denver Nuggets wing Bruce Brown, but they also reportedly want to target Brook Lopez, a center who has spent the last five seasons with the Milwaukee Bucks.
“Among the players L.A. has interest in signing with the non-tax midlevel are Denver Nuggets forward Bruce Brown and Milwaukee Bucks center Brook Lopez, sources told ESPN,” wrote Dave McMenamin of ESPN.
Lopez is the type of two-way center that could open things up for his teammates in multiple ways. He is a good 3-point shooter who made 37.4 percent of his 3-point attempts this season, and that skill could space the floor for LeBron James and Anthony Davis, among others.
The 7-foot-1 center is also a good shot blocker and rim protector, which would allow L.A. to always have such a player on the floor, even when Davis is resting or injured.
Lopez previously played for the team during the 2017-18 season, the season before James came to town. He is originally from the Southland, as he was born in North Hollywood, which is just minutes north of downtown Los Angeles.
Another asset he would have to offer the Lakers is the fact that he played on a Bucks team that won the NBA championship in the 2020-21 season. James loves playing with veterans who are smart and experienced, and Lopez seems to fit that description.
After several midseason trades, the Lakers got hot after the All-Star break and were starting to look like a championship contender. They got all the way to the Western Conference Finals where they got swept by the Denver Nuggets, and perhaps a player such as Lopez would represent the final piece that would allow them to earn their 18th world title.
