While most NBA players do not peak at the age of 35, it could be argued that the 2022-23 season was Brook Lopez’s best, even as he finished the campaign at that age. The veteran center finished as the runner-up in the 2022-23 NBA Defensive Player of the Year voting, and Lopez led the NBA in total blocked shots with 193. Alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jrue Holiday, Lopez helped to anchor an elite defense, and the Milwaukee Bucks with 58 victories while Lopez appeared in 78 games.
Lopez also contributed at a high level on offense, averaging 15.9 points per game and posting a 63.0 percent true shooting mark. He provides the rare combination of size, rim protection, and floor-spacing (37.4 percent from three-point range), and Lopez entered unrestricted free agency in high demand as a result as he completed a three-year contract with the Bucks.
A number of teams were believed to be in the market for his services, but ultimately, Shams Charania reported that Milwaukee found a way to bring him back on a 2-year deal.
Free agent center Brook Lopez has agreed to a two-year, $48 million deal to return to the Milwaukee Bucks, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 1, 2023
Bucks retain their two cornerstones — Brook Lopez and Khris Middleton — in free agency. Massive for Milwaukee in a market that included a similar lucrative offer for Lopez from Houston. https://t.co/r2BEWGkHRX
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 1, 2023
It’s a huge win for the Bucks, which Charania noted also managed to bring back Khris Middleton. There were questions about whether Milwaukee would be able to keep both of them around, and in some pretty good news for Giannis and co., the team was able to go 2-for-2.
Source: https://uproxx.com/dimemag/brook-lopez-signs-bucks-free-agency-contract-details/
