Did Houston Rockets 'Dodge Bullet' Not Signing Brook Lopez in Free Agency?

Brook Lopez nearly signed with the Houston Rockets in free agency.

Jeremy Brener | Dec 7, 2023

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Houston Rockets

Houston Rockets center Alperen Şengün is emerging as one of the league's best young centers, but that may not have happened if Brook Lopez signed with the team this offseason.

Lopez received considerable interest from the Rockets during free agency, but ultimately re-signed with the Milwaukee Bucks.

"Much was made of the free agent whom the Houston Rockets failed to sign, but Brook Lopez would have only been in the way of Alperen Şengün," Bleacher Report writes. "The Rockets should view their close call with Lopez as a bullet dodged since Şengün is already their best player and is on the fast track to stardom."

Şengün, 21, is averaging 21.0 points, nine rebounds and 5.6 assists per game. His defense has also improved, and Houston's defensive rating currently ranks fourth in the NBA. That isn't to say Lopez wouldn't have had the Rockets' defense in the same spot, but it shows that Houston is doing just fine without him.

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Lopez, 35, signed a two-year, $48 million deal with the Bucks this offseason ... just a smidge above what the Rockets were offering. He's averaging 13.2 points and five rebounds per game, both a step below what Şengün is producing.

Şengün and the Rockets are back in action tomorrow night when they travel to Mile High to face Nikola Jokic and the defending champion Denver Nuggets. Tipoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. CT and can be watched locally on the Space City Home Network or out of market on NBA League Pass.

Published Dec 7, 2023

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.