NBA champion Brook Lopez is staying with the Milwaukee Bucks on a two-year, $48 million contract, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium.
The Houston Rockets were very aggressive in their pursuit of Lopez, but the center chose to stay with the Bucks, who also re-signed Khris Middleton.
Lopez averaged 15.9 points, 6.7 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 2.5 blocks for the Bucks in 78 games this past season while shooting 53.1% from the floor, 37.4% from beyond the arc and 78.4% from the free-throw line. The big man made 136 3-pointers.
The 35-year-old Lopez has career averages of 16.4 points, 6.3 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.8 blocks with the Brooklyn Nets, Los Angeles Lakers and Bucks. The Lakers were also interested in signing Lopez.
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Brook Lopez & Milwaukee Bucks Updates
The Bucks hired Adrian Griffin as their new head coach after firing Mike Budenholzer. Middleton and Giannis Antetokounmpo met with Griffin during the interview process.
Next season is a big one for the Bucks, who lost to the Miami Heat in the first round of the 2023 playoffs in five games. Milwaukee has struggled in the postseason the last two years after winning the championship in 2021 over the Phoenix Suns in six games.
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Brook Lopez & Milwaukee Bucks Updates
The Rockets entered free agency with over $60 million in cap space. They signed Fred VanVleet to a three-year, $130 million contract on the first day of free agency. However, Houston wasn’t able to steal Lopez from the Bucks, who were always confident about keeping the California native.
Antetokounmpo loves playing with Middleton and Lopez, so it made sense for the Bucks to keep Giannis happy by re-signing his pals. It will be interesting to see how Milwaukee does next season with a first-year head coach.
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