Brook Lopez is staying in Milwaukee.
According to a report from ESPN, the Bucks center is expected to ink a four-year, $52 million dollar deal when free agency begins.
Once free agency opens at 6 PM ET, Brook Lopez is planning to sign a four-year, $52M deal to stay with the Milwaukee Bucks, league sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 30, 2019
Lopez averaged 12.5 points and 4.9 rebounds in 28.7 minutes per game for Milwaukee in 2018-19. He shot 45.2% from the field and a career-best 36.5% from 3-point range on 6.3 attempts per contest.
The Bucks made it a "priority" to keep the big man and have effectively done so despite Lopez being a top target for other teams.
The veteran received interest from the Kings, Lakers and Rockets but Lopez seemed to have similar priorities to the Bucks and praised the organization during their run in the Eastern Conference finals.
"I've always tried to have fun when I go out and play basketball," Lopez told reporters last month. "I obviously love playing the game. But no question I've been having a great time here. It's just a fun group to be around, a fun coaching staff, fun teammates, great teammates, unselfish, just the best guys in the world.
"I think it's just embedded in the team. We have trust in one another that we can all take and make shots if we're open, and honestly, we're frustrated with each other if we don't shoot it when we're open. If we have a good shot, we've got to take it."
Milwaukee finished the season with an NBA best 60-22 record and coach Mike Budenholzer praised the center's contributions to the team's regular-season mark, highlighting his defensive efforts.
"Brook is incredibly important to us," Budenholzer said in early May, via the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "All the things he's able to do for us defensively, it continues to stand out and be a huge positive."
