It’s no secret around the NBA that the Los Angeles Lakers are going to be looking at centers this offseason. They played the last three months of the 2024-25 season without a starting caliber big after trading Anthony Davis for Luka Doncic, with Jaxson Hayes serving as the team’s lone seven-footer.
But the center market in free agency — and possibly via trade — looks somewhat slim in the early weeks of the offseason. One of the top options is a 37-year-old Brook Lopez, who is an unrestricted free agent after seven years with the Milwaukee Bucks as a strong two-way big man who could protect the paint and hit 3-pointers.
The Bucks are likely to move on from Lopez given they have bigger issues on their hands with the uncertain future of Giannis Antetokounmpo. This leaves Lopez to figure out his value in the open market, and there is both belief that he will have interest, and that the Lakers are going to be one of those teams, according to NBA reporter Gery Woelfel:
Brook Lopez will be an unrestricted free agent this summer.
So, how much interest will there be for the 37-year-old center?
“There’ll be plenty of interest in him,” an NBA executive responded before cynically adding, “I’m sure the Lakers have already talked to him.”— Gery Woelfel (@GeryWoelfel) May 21, 2025
This appears to be more of a joke, as the Lakers cannot legally talk to Lopez yet regarding a contract for next season. But they do have a pre-existing relationship with Lopez, as he played in L.A. prior to his Bucks stint.
Lopez is not the exact definition of what the Lakers would be looking for to pair with Doncic. He is older and slower, no longer providing the elite rim protection he had for some time in Milwaukee. He still shoots 3s at a relatively consistent clip, making 37.3% of them in 2024-25.
It’s also unclear exactly what Lopez’s market will be. More than likely, the Lakers will not have more to spend than an approximately $5.7 million taxpayer mid-level exception. If he can fetch more than that, he may not be interested in the Lakers.
But if the two sides do ultimately agree to a deal, it means that L.A. was not able to find their center of the future next to Doncic and they are running with stopgap options to stay competitive in 2025-26.
Lakers reportedly showing interest in Onyeka Okongwu
One name that general manager Rob Pelinka reportedly made calls about was Atlanta Hawks young big man Onyeka Okongwu. The 24-year-old is in the first year of a four-year, $62 million contract, and while he is slightly undersized at the position, brings athleticism and strong defensive instincts.
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