Report: The Milwaukee Bucks are favored to re-sign veteran center Brook Lopez

Sweet-shooting center Brook Lopez is leaning towards re-signing with the Milwaukee Bucks, a report says.

Marc Stein of Substack reported that according to sources, the Bucks are in “a promising position” to re-sign Lopez, who is one of the several Milwaukee players who are now free agents. Khris Middleton has also opted out of his final year.

Lopez is a hot commodity

Stein said that, like Middleton, Lopez “is likewise leaning toward a Bucks return.”

Adrian Wojnarowski has reported that the Houston Rockets are going to be a “real threat to sign Lopez.”

Milwaukee general manager Jon Horst has said that re-signing Middleton and Lopez is a priority, and the team is hopeful that the two veterans will stay with the Bucks.

It’s understandable that Lopez, a 15-year veteran, is drawing a lot of interest from various teams.

Brook’s impact on the Bucks

The 10th overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft had a solid showing in the past season that saw him provide the Bucks with solid contributions on both ends of the floor.

In the past season, Lopez started in all 78 games that he played and averaged 15.9 points, 6.7 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 0.5 steals, and 2.9 blocks a game.

The 35-year-old center, who joined Milwaukee in July 2018, made it to the NBA All-Defensive First Team and was a strong contender for the Defensive Player of the Year award.

Aside from anchoring the Bucks’ defense, Lopez was also an offensive threat as finished the recently ended season shooting 53.1 percent from the field, including a 37.4 percent clip from the three-point area.

Lopez was one of the main reasons why the Bucks still ended the season with a league-best 58-24 record, even if Giannis Antetokounmpo and Middleton missed a ton of games due to various injuries.