Clippers' Brook Lopez Decision Looks Better in Day 2 of Free Agency

Everything else the Los Angeles Clippers do this offseason besides the Kawhi Leonard trade will understandably go under the radar. Trading Kawhi has single-handedly changed the entire calculus of the present and the future of the franchise, but the Clippers still have to build out a roster. They have to put together a team that will allow player development and give fans something to be hopeful about for the future.

So, the other moves GM Lawrence Frank and the front office make will still be important. So far, the Clippers have done a solid job with the rest of their offseason. Letting John Collins sign with the Pistons, not exercising Bogdan Bogdanovic or Nicolas Batum's team options, and bringing Kobe Sanders on a new, team-friendly deal were good moves.

Perhaps the best move of them all, however, was the decision to pick up the $9.2 million team option on Brook Lopez. How the center market is looking on Day 2 of free agency proves that the Clippers were right to be willing to pay the veteran center for another season.

Brook Lopez's Contract Is a Relative Bargain Compared to Other FA Signings

The free agent market for centers was already bereft of talent to begin with. Most of the free agents barely hit the open market, all of them signing with their current teams. Isaiah Hartenstein signed an extension with the OKC Thunder. Mark Williams, Jusuf Nurkic, Day'Ron Sharpe, Jock Landale, and Al Horford all went back to the teams they ended last season on.

Every single one of the afore-mentioned players, except for Horford, will make more money than Lopez next season. Landale will make $14 million, Nurkic will make $11 million, and Sharpe will make $10 million. None of these big men is obviously better than Lopez.

The 38-year-old center may not be the same two-way force he was earlier in his career, but he can still hit shots and space the floor on one end and protect the rim on the other. For a one-year commitment, the Clippers could do much worse.

Looking at the remaining options in free agency, there is no clear starting-caliber center who would have been an upgrade over Lopez. Mitch Robinson is the best remaining center. After him, Mo Wagner and Nikola Vucevic are the two best players. They are both solid offensive players, but are very limited defensively. Paying Lopez $9.2 million is a better use of resources than signing either of those options.

The Clippers currently have Yanic Konan Niederhauser and Isaiah Jackson as their other centers on the roster. Another big man to add to the mix wouldn't be a bad idea, but the Clippers aren't going to find that on the free agent market.

Keeping Lopez in the rotation and allowing him to space the floor for the new-look Clippers is a savvy move. Depending on how the season goes, the Clippers can always trade him at the deadline.

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