Milwaukee Bucks fans have to be worried right now as Brook Lopez’s future with the team hangs in the balance. According to NBA rumors, the 35-year-old is still expected to sign a new deal with the Bucks once he enters NBA free agency, but until pen is put to paper, nothing is guaranteed.
The Houston Rockets have emerged as one of the teams that are reportedly in serious contention for Lopez’s services. Well, Bucks fans will be glad to know that the Rockets seem to have pivoted their NBA free agency plans, thereby giving Milwaukee better odds to keep Lopez.
Rockets Are On The Brink Of Signing Fred VanVleet And Dillon Brooks
According to NBA insider Marc Stein, the Rockets are now fully expected to add both Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks once free agency opens. These are two of the biggest names available on the market this summer, and it appears that Houston has all but won the race for both of them:
“I can’t sum it up any better than I described it in the Thursday morning notes: It will surprise many teams on the NBA map if Toronto’s Fred VanVleet and Memphis’ Dillon Brooks don’t wind up with the Houston Rockets once free agency is legally underway,” wrote Stein.
Stein reveals that the Rockets should be able to lure FVV away from the Toronto Raptors through a two-year deal that is expected to go north of $80 million. Dillon Brooks, on the other hand, appears to have already played his final game for the Memphis Grizzlies as Houston closes in on what is projected to be a three-year deal that will be in the region of $15 million per season.
Rockets’ No Longer In The Mix For Brook Lopez?
This new development impacts the Bucks significantly, particularly on the Brook Lopez front. The two-time All-Defense big man has been linked to a handful of teams from around the league but it is believed that the Rockets were one of, if not the biggest threat to the Bucks in terms of stealing away their starting center.
Houston is now expected to shell out a lot of money for VanVleet and Brooks, which means that they likely won’t have enough spending power to pursue Lopez. The 35-year-old pocketed $13.9 million last season in Milwaukee, and he will likely be aiming for a similar number in free agency, if not more.
Then again, the Rockets are not the only team that has shown interest in Lopez. The Los Angeles Lakers are reportedly also eyeing a potential reunion with their former big man, which means that the Bucks will still have their work cut out for them in the coming hours.
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