Lakers Consider Reunion With Pricey Big Man After Waiving Mo Bamba

Mo Bamba is no longer part of the Los Angeles Lakers. The team has a big hole to fill and they may have already found a great player who can contribute to the game. According to several sources, the Lakers showed great interest in a potential reunion with a big man.

Will Brook Lopez be a good replacement for Bamba? He could provide a nice depth to the roster and Dave McMenamin from ESPN could see him put on a Lakers uniform really soon.

“Among the players L.A. has interest in signing with the non-tax midlevel are Denver Nuggets forward Bruce Brown and Milwaukee Bucks center Brook Lopez, sources told ESPN,” wrote McMenamin.

Lopez is a familiar name. He was a Laker for a season and started 72 games with the team. In his lone season with the Lakers, Lopez averaged 13.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks per game.

The Milwaukee Bucks got him next and Lopez delivered great performance in the defensive side of the ball. His career-average of blocks is 2.5 per game and Lopez ranks second in the NBA.

Lakers will get a lot from their reunion with the big man

The Lakers could benefit from Lopez in so many ways. He started all 78 games this past season and played an average of 30 minutes. He shot 37.4 percent from beyond the arc which will give the Lakers an ability to stretch the floor.

Bobby Marks from ESPN says the Lakers will have to make some moves to get Lopez. He is set to sign an $18-20 million with his next deal.

Lopez didn’t reveal much about his future plans, but he dropped a few possible hints during his appearance on NBA Today.

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— Diamond Dog (@DiamondDogzzz) June 28, 2023

“You know, actually, I was thinking Montreal, but they don’t even have a baseball team anymore, so that might not work,” Lopez said. “My choice really would be Seattle, honestly. My fear though, unfortunately, the Supersonics went away the year I was drafted. And so I feel like I might not get that chance because when I’m done, I feel like that year they’ll come back.”

Several teams have shown interest in the talented player, including the Houston Rockets. However, Marc Stein believes that Lopez could just re-sign with the Bucks.

“Milwaukee is indeed in a promising position when it comes to re-signing both Khris Middleton and Brook Lopez,” Stein reported. “My sense is that a new deal for Middleton is all but assured at this point, while word is Lopez — despite Houston’s well-chronicled interest and the presumed threat to a Rockets bid would carry — is likewise leaning toward a Bucks return.”