The San Antonio Spurs are looking to speed up their rebuild around Victor Wembanyama this offseason. It started with the 2024 NBA Draft, where they selected UConn guard, Stephon Castle , fourth overall. They then traded away the number eight selection to the Minnesota Timberwolves for future draft compensation, leading to believe that general manager, Brian Wright, may make a blockbuster trade this offseason. San Antonio also signed veteran point guard, Chris Paul , to help mentor their young players. They have also been in rumors about trading for Lauri Markkanen from the Utah Jazz . If that does not happen, they could also deal for the Milwaukee Bucks ‘s Brook Lopez .
Milwaukee was knocked out of the playoffs in the first round last season, falling very short of their championship expectations after acquiring Lillard from the Portland Trail Blazers last offseason. With Giannis Antetokounmpo , Damian Lillard and Khris Middleton set as the core of the Bucks, the one player left out is Lopez. Because of this, the Bucks have been actively shopping Lopez on the trade market this offseason as they look to retool their roster around Giannis and Lillard. According to Matt Moore from The Action Network, the San Antonio Spurs have shown interest in acquiring Lopez from Milwaukee.
San Antonio has been discussed in trade rumors for multiple players already and this report now adds Lopez to that growing list. The Spurs do have the second-most draft capital of any team over the next six seasons, trailing just the Oklahoma City Thunder . With San Antonio looking to speed up their rebuild around Wembanyama this offseason, a trade is likely to happen to help them return to their winning ways of the past.
Why San Antonio Should Be Interested In Lopez
Lopez is a great defender and can stretch the floor
Lopez has spent the last six seasons in Milwaukee, helping the Bucks win a title in 2021. Over those seasons, he has continued to play great basketball and has been one of the NBA’s best defenders during that time. He has also been a reliable scorer and improved his three-point shooting immensely since the early part of his career with the Brooklyn Nets.
Last season, Lopez averaged 12.5 points, 5.2 assists, and 2.4 blocks in 79 games. The 36-year-old also shot 48.5 percent from the field and 36.6 percent from three. He did post his worst defensive rating during his time with the Bucks last season at 114.1, but Milwaukee struggled all season as a team defensively. Despite him getting older, Lopez has aged like fine wine, continuing to be one of the best centers in the league.
For San Antonio, adding Lopez next to Wembanyama in the frontcourt would create one of if not the best defensive frontcourts in the league. Wembanyama is coming off of finishing runner-up in the Defensive Player of the Year race last season, and Lopez finished runner-up for the award in the 2022-23 season. With these two down low, good luck to any team scoring in the paint.
Lopez would also help the Spurs’ lackluster shooting, especially from three-point range. Lopez shot 36.6 percent from three last season, the second-highest of his 16-year NBA career. With most of the Spurs roster, besides Wembanyama and Devin Vassell , struggling to shoot from beyond the arc last season, adding another big man who is a great shooter could make them a playoff team next season.
What the Spurs Would Have to Give Up
Spurs and Bucks swap centers
With Lopez now at 36 years old, Milwaukee might not be able to receive as much as they would like for him. They would more than likely want another center who could then back up Bobby Portis , who would replace Lopez in the starting lineup. They may also ask for another role player or future draft compensation.
In this mock trade, the Spurs would send Zach Collins and a 2030 first-round pick to the Bucks in exchange for Lopez. Collins is still just 26 years old and had one of the best seasons of his career last year. The only downfall of Collins is that he has struggled throughout his career with injuries, but he has played in more than 60 games in the last two seasons. By acquiring Collins, Milwaukee would more than likely have him as the backup center, helping their second unit. He also has a much cheaper contract than Lopez, allowing the Bucks to open up a little more cap space to make another deal.
For San Antonio, they would lose Collins, but gain a much better player in Lopez. Lopez has also been able to stay on the court more frequently than Collins and is a much more reliable shooter and defender. They would also have to give up just one future first-round pick, while keeping key players in Keldon Johnson and Devonte’ Graham that they could then package to another team to acquire another star player.
If San Antonio does end up trading for Lopez, they would immediately have one of the league’s best defensive lineups. With Lopez and Wembanyama in the paint, the Spurs would also create one of the NBA’s best frontcourts, especially defensively. They would also still have enough cap space to make a deal for another star player to help make a playoff push next season.
