The Chicago Bulls will not buyout center Robin Lopez, whom the Golden State Warriors have expressed interest in if he is bought out.
Players must be bought out by 11:59 p.m. Friday night in order to be playoff eligible. With the clock ticking, the Bulls are doing everything in their power to not buyout Robin Lopez and keep him away from the defending champions. This is disappointing news for the Warriors.
The Bulls, meanwhile, have been adamant they won't buy out Robin Lopez ... apparently determined to keep him away from the Warriors. Doesn't look at all like something will change in the next 12 hours; RoLo would not be playoff-eligible unless he is bough out by 11:59 PM tonight
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) March 1, 2019
With the playoff eligibility deadline tonight, it will be interesting to see what the Bulls will exactly do with Lopez. As of right now, it seems like they will not buy him out. However, things can change between now and 11:59 p.m.
Lopez would be a great addition to the Warriors bench. It gives them more depth and size at the center position. Lopez is an excellent screener and rebounder. He would fit perfectly in what the Warriors want from the center position.
Having Lopez in the lineup would help get shooters open because of his ability to set solid screens, but his lack of shooting would hurt the spacing. However, I can’t imagine any reason as to why the Dubs wouldn’t want an additional center to add to their depth chart, regardless of who that pickup is.
Lopez is averaging 7.9 points, 3.1 rebounds, 1.1 blocks and 1.0 assists per game this season. This is his third season with the Bulls and 11th season overall for his career. He is an experienced veteran that can offer some valuable talent to the Warriors bench.
The NBA Playoffs can get crazy and there is no telling what players will get injured. It is always safe to have a backup plan just in case things take a wrong turn and having Lopez would have been great insurance for the Warriors. Instead, they will have to look elsewhere for help.