Lakers Rumors: Brook Lopez Contract Interests LAL in 2023 NBA Free Agency on MLE

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Veteran center Brook Lopez is “among the players” the Los Angeles Lakers are reportedly targeting with the $12.4 million non-tax midlevel exception, according to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin.

The team also has interest in Denver Nuggets forward Bruce Brown with that particular exception, while McMenamin noted that the Lakers “could also elect to split the full midlevel and pursue multiple free agents with that money” like guards Dennis Schröder and Eric Gordon.

The move comes after the Lakers cleared cap space on Thursday by waiving Mo Bamba and his $10.3 non-guaranteed salary for the 2023-24 season, declining Malik Beasley’s $16.5 million option and releasing Shaquille Harrison.

That leaves the Lakers with just four players currently under contract—LeBron James ($47.6 million), Anthony Davis ($40.6 million), Jarred Vanderbilt ($4.6 million) and Max Christie ($1.7 million)—and a pair of incoming rookies in Jalen Hood-Schifino and Maxwell Lewis.

So the Lakers are going to have a busy summer building a new supporting cast around James and Davis. It seems likely the team will either sign restricted free agents Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura to new deals or match any offer sheets they sign.

Lopez, meanwhile, would represent a smart use of the non-taxpayer midlevel exception. The 35-year-old averaged 15.9 points, 6.7 rebounds and 2.5 blocks across 78 games last season, shooting 53.1 percent from the field and 37.4 percent from three.

His rim protection would allow the Lakers to keep AD at the 4 during the regular season and away from the wear and tear of banging down on the block, while his three-point shooting would preserve the floor spacing needed to allow James to thrive even when the team utilized big lineups.

Lakers vice president of basketball operations and general manager Rob Pelinka orchestrated a midseason flurry of moves that proved brilliant and helped lead the Lakers to the Western Conference Finals this past season. But with the Western Conference loading up already this offseason after Bradley Beal landed in Phoenix and Chris Paul became a Golden State Warrior, he has his work cut out for him again.

“We want to try our hardest to keep this core of guys together and also improve around the edges and on the margins to not only get back to where we were last year but hopefully take the next step and get into the NBA Finals,” he told reporters Tuesday.

Signing Lopez would help in that effort.