It appears to be a no-risk signing for the Milwaukee Bucks, agreeing to a one-year, $3.5 million contract with Brook Lopez.
The 30-year-old center averaged 13 points, 4 rebounds, 1.3 blocks and 1.3 turnovers in just 23.4 minutes a game last season for the L.A. Lakers.
Lopez gives Milwaukee some much needed shooting from the center position, having hit 34.5 percent from beyond the arc the last two seasons.
From that sense, the 7-footer makes sense. But he doesn’t fit exactly the new NBA or the kind of pace the Bucks would like to play.
But, the centers the Bucks have had on their roster, since losing Zaza Pachulia, have never quite fit (that Pachulia thing was a joke). And, Lopez could be a joke, too. Or he could be motivated to prove he’s still relevant — if ever he was relevant.
Lopez has been to the playoffs three times in his 11-year career — all in three consecutive seasons ending in 2014-15. He got to the second round once. Beyond that, his teams have only won more than 34 games once — his rookie year.
He’s always been able to score but is a horrific rebounder for his size. He has blocked 1.7 shots a game for his career — though that isn’t a good way to gauge defense.
He could be a solid upgrade from John Henson — that’s not really saying much — and, more importantly, a stopgap for if and when Thon Maker is ever ready to play extended minutes.
Thought of as an injury risk, Lopez has played over 70 in each of the last four seasons.
