Milwaukee has had a busy offseason.
The Milwaukee Bucks lost their starting center early in free agency, but his destination wasn’t as shocking as it seemed.
Over the first couple of days of free agency, the Bucks stole the headlines of the NBA world. The Bucks shockingly agreed to a four-year deal with Myles Turner after he had spent the past decade with the Indiana Pacers, followed only a few minutes later by the team waiving and stretching Damian Lillard.
While the deal for Turner was certainly not on anybody’s radar, there was a sudden need for some more help in the frontcourt in Milwaukee. On the first night of free agency, Brook Lopez agreed to a deal with the LA Clippers after spending the past seven seasons with the Bucks and winning a title with the franchise.
Considering Lopez’s age and his declining role in Milwaukee, there were already reports that a return was unlikely. However, most expected the big man to end up in Los Angeles playing for the Lakers, not the Clippers.
In a recent story, Marc Stein cleared the air on why Lopez’s destination wasn’t really a shocker after all. Stein wrote that the Lakers had already zeroed in on Deandre Ayton, and most saw him as a “virtual lock” to go to the Lakers, leaving them with little reason or resources to pursue Lopez.
While it was still an unexpected twist to see Lopez go to the Clippers, his departure from Milwaukee was likely inevitable. Considering the Bucks had Turner the next day, the situation worked out well for both sides.
Category: Basketball
