The Los Angeles Lakers are preparing for what will be their busiest offseason in recent memory. The team's dynamic front office duo of Rob Pelinka and Magic Johnson plan to make some major moves this summer with LeBron James and Paul George potentially in their crosshairs once NBA free agency begins on July 1.
On Thursday, the Lakers made their first big push to be in position to court big-name free agents this summer by making a blockbuster trade with the Cleveland Cavaliers to clear cap space. Along with trading away Jordan Clarkson and Larry Nance Jr, some began to speculate whether veteran center Brook Lopez would desire a buyout in order to sign with a playoff contender. It appears he's content to play out the rest of the season with Los Angeles, according to ESPN's Ramona Shelburne.
As I said a little while ago on the Jump, source tells me that Brook Lopez wants to stay with the Lakers the rest of the year. There's still time for that to change, but if it holds, teams hoping he'd be available after a buyout will be disappointed.
— Ramona Shelburne (@ramonashelburne) February 8, 2018
Although the Lakers aren't out of the playoff picture at this point, the safe bet is they more than likely will be in the coming months meaning players on an expiring deal like Lopez my want to head elsewhere while they still can.
At this point, it is uncertain what the future holds for Lopez and whether he'll be wearing purple and gold beyond the 2017-18 campaign. The Los Angeles native may be holding out hope of staying with the team next season and therefore is willing to play out the rest of the year in order to improve his chances.
Lopez was traded to the Lakers last summer in the deal that sent D'Angelo Russell and Timofey Mozgov to the Brooklyn Nets. The 29-year-old is currently the highest paid player on the team at $22.6 million for this season which is the final year of his deal.
Follow Us
Subscribe