NBA: Playoffs-Denver Nuggets at Los Angeles Clippers Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Los Angeles Clippers Steal Lakers Top Free Agent Target

Originally posted on LAFB Network | By Ryan Anderson | Last updated Jun 30, 2025 10:16 PM ET

Veteran center Brook Lopez is heading back to Los Angeles—but not to the team many expected. After weeks of speculation tying him to a potential reunion with the Lakers, Lopez agreed to a two-year, $18 million deal with the Los Angeles Clippers, per ESPN’s Shams Charania. The contract was finalized using the Clippers’ $14.1 million non-taxpayer mid-level exception, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks.

Lopez, now 37, remains an impactful presence on both ends of the floor. This past season, he appeared in 80 games for the Milwaukee Bucks and averaged 13.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 1.9 blocks, and shot 37.3% from three—a rare combination of rim protection and floor spacing.

Brook Lopez Chooses Los Angeles Clippers Over Lakers in Strategic West Coast Shift

Los Angeles Clippers Steal Lakers Top Free Agent Target 1 Michael McLoone-Imagn Images

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A 17-year NBA veteran and a key figure in Milwaukee’s 2021 championship run, Lopez quietly remained one of the league’s most consistent shot blockers. Per StatMuse, he’s one of just three players with over 700 blocks since 2020, joining Myles Turner and Rudy Gobert in that elite group.

The Bucks’ recent postseason shortcomings—three straight first-round exits—may have prompted Lopez’s departure. Despite a promising 2023 offseason that included trading for Damian Lillard, Milwaukee never found sustained rhythm. Coaching instability and injuries to both Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo plagued their 2024–25 campaign, which ended with a 4–1 series loss to the Pacers.

The Clippers, meanwhile, finished 50–32 and lost in the first round to the Denver Nuggets. With Ivica Zubac entrenched as the starter, Lopez adds proven depth and postseason experience to a team still in search of a championship breakthrough.

While Lakers fans may be disappointed, it’s the Clippers who secured a smart, steady veteran capable of impacting winning. As one source put it: “L̶a̶k̶e̶r̶s̶… Clippers got their center.”

This article first appeared on LAFB Network and was syndicated with permission.

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