Bucks' Brook Lopez is Being Targeted by Budding West Contender

The Milwaukee Bucks ended up not playing Brook Lopez much at the end of their first-round series against the Indiana Pacers. In fact, the Pacers essentially played him off the court.

Lopez played just eight minutes in the final game of the series, seemingly indicating that Doc Rivers had lost trust in him. Now, Lopez is going to be a free agent.

Normally, that would seem like a good idea for all involved. Lopez's minutes dwindled when it mattered the most, and it didn't look like Rivers had much faith that he could fix those issues.

The issue is that the Bucks don't really have someone to take his spot. They don't have a younger center who is ready to step into the starting role for Milwaukee.

It looks like Lopez might be moving on regardless, and one Western Conference team has its eyes on him. The Houston Rockets could make a move for him.

According to The Athletic, if Steven Adams leaves the Rockets, they could target Lopez to be his replacement for next season. Lopez is coveted by other teams around the league.

Lopez would instantly be the veteran leader on a still-young Rockets team. Houston was clearly too young to advance in the playoffs this season.

Adams was someone who was really good at grabbing rebounds for the Rockets. Lopez isn't quite as good of a rebounder, but he's a much better defender and three-point shooter.

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Milwaukee seems fine with letting Lopez go. He is 37 years old and is clearly on the tail end of his career. Quite frankly, they should have been planning for this.

The Bucks knew that this summer was coming with him becoming a free agent. If Bobby Portis decides to opt out, then they are in a massive amount of trouble.

All of this is secondary to what Antetokounmpo decides to do. He is the most important part of the Bucks' present and their future. Still, losing Lopez would sting.

This season, Lopez averaged 13 points, five rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game.

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