In the midst of the Milwaukee Bucks’ playoff hunt, Brook Lopez notched a historic achievement largely overlooked in Monday’s 125-110 win in Utah. His three blocks that night–his sixth straight game with multiple rejections–made him the first player ever to record 2000 blocks and 1000 made threes in an NBA career.
Swatting another shot sinking three more triples in Milwaukee’s loss to Portland 24 hours later, Lopez now sports career marks of 2001 and 1021 in those categories. He broke the 1k mark from distance with four makes January 6 against Toronto, the victory that sparked the Bucks’ recent 8-1 streak.
The team’s improved play has them 26-19 and fourth in the Eastern Conference, half a game up on the Pacers.
On the season, his 17th in the league, Lopez is averaging 12.2 PTS, 4.8 REB, and 2.0 BLKS while shooting 36.8% on threes. While those numbers are a tick down from last season and a ways away from his 2022 resurgence, the 36-year-old remains a central part of Milwaukee’s frontline defense and floor spacing on offense.
With the Feb. 6 trade deadline approaching, however, many fans hardly acknowledged his achievement. At least part of the fanbase is already detaching from the 6th-year Buck in favor of including him in a trade.
Milwaukee Bucks Fans Not Impressed by Brook Lopez’ Record
“Cool trade his ass,” one fan replied to the team’s X post announcing Lopez’ feat.
Brook Lopez is 1 of 1. pic.twitter.com/9UqCfKNoSj
— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) January 30, 2025
“1 of 1,” the Bucks’ caption reads. “Sure was…not anymore,” one user commented. “Time to trade him. He’s a massive liability.”
Another pointed out his contract, a two-year $48 million deal that expires after this season. “Brook is getting 24 mil a yr. To me he’s very overpaid. He should be getting 15 mil or less. Trade Brook,” the fan concluded.
In the poll included in the comment, 7 of 12 participants voted “Yes” to trading Lopez.
Granted, the 7’1” center is no longer as fleet afoot as he once was, which was never very “fleet” to begin with. He is liable to blow by’s and sometimes struggles to close out on opponent three-point tries.
All of these things are true, as is the fact that he has appeared in trade rumors along with Khris Middleton and Bobby Portis. While the latter two are more often discussed as key outgoing pieces in a deal for Zach Lavine or Jimmy Butler, fans that want Lopez gone may still get their wish by next Thursday.
As the saying goes, though, Bucks faithful may want to be careful what they wish for.
Old Man Lopez Remains Among Game’s Elite Block Artists
Despite his flaws, Lopez remains one of the league’s best shot blockers, ranking fourth behind the Spurs‘ Victor Wembanyama, Utah’s Walker Kessler, and the Lakers’ Anthony Davis. Despite his three-point volume (5.1 of his 9.6 shots per game come beyond the arc), he is shooting a solid 47.9% from the floor.
In the paint he is an important help defender. Lopez anchoring the interior allows Giannis Antetokounmpo to defend aggressively on the perimeter, knowing that if his man gets by him his 7-foot center will be there to protect the rim.
While accurate, the notion that he is overpaid does not have much bearing on team finances going forward. His contract expires after the season and the Bucks are under no obligation to bring him back, assuming they don’t trade him beforehand.
When Milwaukee signed him to his two-year contract, Lopez had just had his best season since 2016-17 with Brooklyn. The price was reasonable for his performance, the length benefitted the team, and failing to resign him would have left the Bucks’ interior defense vulnerable.
Even if Lopez made, say, $18 million instead of $23M, at $6.4M over the limit Milwaukee would still need to dump a smaller salary in order to sneak under the second apron for trade purposes. If he is involved in a trade, his current salary provides flexibility for a decent return–for example, if the Brooklyn Nets were so interested (they’re not), Lopez could be swapped one-for-one with draft picks for a player like Cam Johnson ($22.5M salary).
In other words, there is no reason to cry over spilt milk.
Nonetheless, some fans are convinced that Lopez is a negative asset. “Man GTFOH, he’s a great player but his decision making on taking them 3’s needs to be studied! I love Brook when he’s locked in with a haircut, ” continued one X commenter, “but if he’s sluggish you know we in for a night of terrible defense and shot chucking!”
As far as the achievement itself, “Wemby will get that in no time,” someone else chimed in. Indeed, the league’s leading shot blocker (3.9 BPG) is gaining ground fast, already at 407 rejections and 253 made threes in 110 career games. In comparison, Lopez took 1069 games to reach the 2k/1k club.
At least for a while, though, Splash Mountain will remain its exclusive member.
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