The New York Knicks can cross one center off their offseason targets list.
According to Eric Nehm of The Athletic, Milwaukee Bucks star Brook Lopez is so highly valued by his team that their general manager, Jon Horst, stated they have no plans to trade him anytime soon. “Rumors and chatter make the league interesting and fun, so people will always speculate. I don’t usually talk about this stuff with the media, but since Brook is so core to who we are, we have zero intentions of trading Brook,” Horst said.
The Knicks will miss out on a top two-way center who has been removed from trade discussions. Lopez would have been a strong candidate for a trade this summer, bringing many desirable skills to the court. The 7-foot-1 center is an elite defender and rim protector, finishing second in the 2023 Defensive Player of the Year race and recording 2.4 blocks per game in the 2023-24 season, ranking second in the league.
Offensively, Lopez can space the floor with his shooting, making 1.9 threes per game on 5.1 attempts last season. He also has a good feel for playing in the post and a soft touch around the rim.
Though he is not a great rebounder for his size, with a 5.4 percent offensive rebounding rate significantly lower than former Knicks center Isaiah Hartenstein’s, Lopez would have been a formidable pick-and-roll partner for All-Star Jalen Brunson.
Despite missing out on Lopez, the Bucks are pleased with his contributions and aim to pursue a title in the 2024-25 season with a healthy roster. The Bucks dealt with injuries last season, with Khris Middleton missing 27 games due to an ankle sprain and Giannis Antetokounmpo missing the entire first round of the 2024 playoffs, which the Bucks lost to the Indiana Pacers.
Lopez maintained his performance for Milwaukee, averaging 17.7 points per game on 58.7 percent shooting and 43.5 percent from beyond the arc. Although the Bucks were eliminated early, Lopez’s output demonstrated his value as one of the best No. 4 options in the league. The Knicks will need to search elsewhere for a potential center upgrade as the summer continues.
