Inside The Rockets

NBA Free Agency: Rockets 'Like' Bucks Center Brook Lopez

The Houston Rockets could improve their defense drastically by signing Milwaukee Bucks center Brook Lopez in free agency.

Jeremy Brener

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The Houston Rockets have a lot of ammo with $60 million in cap space this summer.

No team in the league has more money to work with than the Rockets and they are planning to use that money to sign several veterans to support the young core on the roster.

According to Kelly Iko of The Athletic, the Rockets "like" Milwaukee Bucks center Brook Lopez.

Lopez, 35, averaged 15.9 points, 6.7 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 2.5 blocks per contest in 78 games last season for the Bucks en route to the best record in the NBA for the regular season. However, the Bucks fell in five games during the first round against the eventual Eastern Conference champion Miami Heat. The opening series loss could have the Bucks re-thinking the configuration of their team.

Should he land in Houston, Lopez immediately fulfills a need for the Rockets in protecting the rim. Lopez was All-NBA Defensive First Team and would drastically change Houston's 29th-best defensive rating from this past season.

While it may create a logjam at the center position with Alperen Sengun, Lopez would only be a short-term option and he could provide some mentorship and tips to the young Turkish big man in how to protect the rim.

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Jeremy Brener
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.

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