There is certainly no denying that the Los Angeles Lakers entered the 2025 free agency period in desperate need of help at the center position. One name that felt entrenched in the Lakers' rumor mill to address that problem was Brook Lopez. Their crosstown rivals helped them avoid that mistake.
Shams Charania announced, "Free agent center Brook Lopez has agreed to a two-year, $18 million deal with the Los Angeles Clippers, sources tell ESPN. Clippers and Lopez's agents at Wasserman negotiate a new deal for the 2021 Bucks champion to exit Milwaukee and land in Los Angeles."
In a comical twist, Lopez did indeed end up in Los Angeles. The former Milwaukee Bucks center just ended up with the B-team instead. The Lakers should be thankful of that.
The Clippers didn't just help Rob Pelinka and his front office avoid an underwhelming fit. That is only half of it. The value of the contract which Lopez signed is also one that looks rather puzzling, and better off somewhere else.
Lakers served needed opportunity to seek center help elsewhere
This is meant as no disrespect to Lopez, who has been a strong pro throughout his career. However, his fading gifts would have been a lackluster way for the Lakers to settle with regard to plugging the hole at center.
As much fun as it would be to keep poking fun at the Clippers, the fit with Los Angeles' other team is better. Lopez settles into a backup role behind Ivica Zubac where the veteran big man can only be exposed so much.
The Indiana Pacers ran circles around the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round. Lopez became downright unplayable in that series. If the Lakers were turning to that same player as patchwork at the starting center spot, that would have been trouble.
Furthermore, two years and $18 million is a price that the Lakers should have never felt comfortable competing with, especially considering their limited resources financially. If the plan was for Lopez to be a backup, the veteran minimum should have been the cut-off point.
The Lakers were offered a touch more financial flexibility after Dorian Finney-Smith unexpectedly departed for the Houston Rockets. However, that situation in itself was a disappointing blow. Pivoting that extra money into Lopez would have made a bad deal worse.
The new Clippers center could have put a band-aid on the gigantic shift that needs to happen with the frontcourt rotation for the Lakers. Despite that, the lasting impact of the move would have done more damage in the long-term.