NBA Rumors: Los Angeles Clippers Must Stay Away From Brook Lopez
With news that DeAndre Jordan will become a free agent this summer, the Los Angeles Clippers will be without a real option at Center entering the 2018-19 season. While they did make a trade to being in Marcin Gortat from the Washington Wizards, he’s just not the player he once was. There are very few good low post threats in free agency, but one player the team must stay away from completely is–Brook Lopez.
Maybe a season ago, bringing in Lopez would seem like the logical answer here. But after his disappointing season with the Los Angeles Lakers, one has to wonder if he still has the desire in him to be one of the best.
At one point, Brook Lopez was the best ‘scoring’ Center in the NBA. However, the other aspects of his game took a backseat. During his time with the Brooklyn Nets, Lopez averaged 18.6 points and 7.1 rebounds. While the scoring was great, the rebounding for someone his size was just awful. The Nets invested a ton in Lopez and season after season, he did little to improve outside of his offense.
The Los Angeles Clippers Should Avoid Brook Lopez At All Cost
His lone season with the Lakers was met with mixed reviews. Some praised him for how he finished the year while others saw the overall picture. Maybe he just didn’t fit the Luke Walton scheme or maybe Lopez lost a step or two. In 2017, Lopez would finish the year with averages of 13 points and 4 rebounds. Yes, you read that correctly and all the while making over $22 million.
Is this the only real option the Los Angeles Clippers have in free agency? Will Lopez be able to be a force in the middle for a team that will struggle on the defensive side of the court? With Jordan, the Clippers knew going into every game they were going to get 15+ points and 10+ rebounds. With Lopez, it’s the unknown that should have them worried.
Then one must wonder what will his asking price be? Does he still believe he can command top dollar for his eroding skills or was this just an off-year for him?
[BXReporter]
Mark has been covering Sports and Entertainment for the past six years. His work has been featured on Bleacher Report, ESPN, Fox Sports, Teen Vogue, and many other websites.
