Milwaukee Bucks general manager Jon Horst told NBA reporter Eric Nehm of The Athletic that the franchise has “zero intentions” of trading big man Brook Lopez.
Lopez has been in trade rumors this offseason, but Horst said he wants to keep the NBA champion.
“First of all, rumors and chatter are what makes the league so interesting and so fun, so people are always going to speculate and talk about it,” Horst said. “And I typically don’t talk about any of this stuff with the media, but I will say, because Brook is so core to who we are, we have zero intentions of trading Brook. Of course he has value around the league. That’s a credit to him. But we’ve not engaged in any real conversations about trading Brook. There are teams that have a lot of value and interest in him. It’s my job to take calls, receive calls, have conversations, but Brook has been and will continue to be core to who we are.”
Lopez will make $23 million next season in the final year of his contract.
The Bucks lost to the Indiana Pacers in the first round of the 2024 playoffs in six games.
Lopez appeared in 79 games for the Bucks in 2023-24. He averaged 12.5 points, 5.2 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 0.5 steals and 2.4 blocks while shooting 48.5% from the field, 36.6% from beyond the arc and 82.1% from the free-throw line.
A one-time All-Star, Lopez helped the Bucks win the 2021 NBA title over the Phoenix Suns. He has career averages of 16.1 points, 6.2 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 0.6 steals and 1.9 blocks with the Brooklyn Nets, Los Angeles Lakers and Bucks.
“I hope that Brook retires as a Milwaukee Buck,” Horst said. “That’s been the goal since we originally got him. His impact on our team defensively and rebounding is elite. It only gets better. It’s not declining. I mean, he’s an anomaly in how he just continues to get better and better and better.”
Looking for the latest NBA Insider News & Rumors?
Be sure to follow Hoops Wire on TWITTER and FACEBOOK for breaking NBA News and Rumors for all 30 teams!
