Knicks Trade Target Taken Off Market

The New York Knicks won't be trading for Milwaukee Bucks center Brook Lopez.

Jeremy Brener | Jul 27, 2024

Apr 3, 2024; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Bucks center Brook Lopez (11) reacts in the second quarter against the Memphis Grizzlies at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports / Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports

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New York Knicks

The New York Knicks are still in need of a center and they could look to the trade market to get that desire filled.

SNY contributor David Vertsberger suggests that the Knicks should send Miles McBride and Precious Achiuwa in a sign-and-trade to the Milwaukee Bucks for veteran Brook Lopez.

"The Knicks can target Lopez, another center whose talent helps make up for the loss of Hartenstein. ... Lopez brings a fresh look from the five spot New York hasn’t seen before," Vertsberger writes. "Although he’s 36 years old, Lopez is still a solid defender, and while his rebound numbers don’t stand out, he boxes out well to create opportunities for others to grab the boards. He’s also a 35.4 percent shooter from three on five attempts a game over the last six seasons in Milwaukee, providing some spacing from the position the Knicks haven’t had to this point, which can open up a lot offensively for Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle."

Lopez did regress this past season, going from 15.9 points per game to 12.5. He was also an All-Defensive First Team member in the 2022-23 campaign, but didn't even make the Second Team in 2023-24. Despite his struggles this season, Bucks general manager Jon Horst says the team is not parting ways with Lopez.

“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. 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,” Horst said via The Athletic insider Eric Nehm.

While the Knicks could have benefitted from Lopez, the team will have to go elsewhere. Perhaps the Knicks could come calling at the trade deadline or next offseason when Lopez is an unrestricted free agent, but for now, it appears the former All-Star will remain with Milwaukee.

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Published Jul 27, 2024

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.