2 Pros, 1 Con of Miami Heat pursuing Milwaukee Bucks star
Now with two consecutive seasons resulting in a first-round exit, the Milwaukee Bucks could possibly be in for another shakeup as Kevin O'Connor from The Ringer reported on Thursday that the Bucks are leaning towards a more versatile defensive scheme, which raises a question if Brook Lopez will remain a Milwaukee Buck.
“There are rumblings that the Bucks would like to play a more versatile style of defense next season, which raises the question of whether Brook Lopez has a future there.”
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) June 20, 2024
- @KevinOConnorNBA
(Via https://t.co/hED7W7NbHP) pic.twitter.com/NnwI87yq98
With Lopez possibly being on the trade block, let's take a look at the pros and cons of Miami potentially bringing in Brook Lopez.
Should the Miami Heat explore trading for Brook Lopez if they believe he can open up the offense for Bam Adebayo and Jimmy Butler?
Pros: Contract situation
Lopez will make $23 million in the final year of his contract next season, so there's no long-term risk in acquiring Lopez for a year. If the Heat were to trade a longer contract (Tyler Herro, Duncan Robinson or Terry Rozier) in exchange for Lopez, that would free up funds after this season to make other changes to the roster.
Going forward, it would help Miami to avoid being a second-apron team, which comes with limitations like being restricted from using the mid-level exception, aggregating salaries and taking back more money in a trade. One way to avoid being in that spot for multiple seasons is acquiring expired contracts, and Lopez fits that bill.