Naz Reid became the latest center taken off the free agency market on Friday, having signed a massive five-year, $125 million contract with the Minnesota Timberwolves that lessens the potential options for the Golden State Warriors and others in need of a big man this offseason.
The Warriors have acknowledged the need not to have Draymond Green as a constant small-ball five going forward, but they could be looking to invest more in youngster Quinten Post rather than focusing intently on external options.
The Warriors reportedly aren't keen on Brook Lopez
Ever since their season came to an end at the hands of the Minnesota Timberwolves in the second-round of the playoffs, Golden State have been linked to veteran big man Brook Lopez as a potential free agency option.
Lopez and fellow veteran Al Horford are arguably the two biggest names to monitor entering free agency, albeit their advanced ages raise genuine concerns of what they have left as 25-minute per game players in the league.
Lopez does appear to be available ahead of free agency, with NBA insider Jake Fischer of The Stein Line reporting on Saturday that "there is a growing belief Lopez will indeed be on the move next week after a highly successful seven-season stint alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo."
Adding Lopez or another veteran center should be a priority for the Warriors, allowing Green to return to the power forward spot while pairing him with an experienced playoff performer rather than relying heavily on the inexperienced Post.
However, the Warriors might crush Green's wish even before free agency begins, with Warriors insider Tim Kawakami recalling a conversation he had with a person inside the organization that suggests they're not overly interested in the 37-year-old.
"I don't know about Brook Lopez. He's had a bad year man, he had a bad year," Kawakami said on the latest episode of the Warriors Plus Minus podcast. "I floated his name to a Warriors person not too long ago and that person said, 'man, nah he had a bad year.'"
Even in what might be considered a 'bad year', Lopez still averaged 13.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.9 blocks while shooting 37.3% on nearly five 3-point attempts per game. He was still the starting center for a Bucks team that went 48-34, but was benched in Game 5 of their first-round series loss to the Indiana Pacers.
If Golden State aren't interested in Lopez as Kawakami would suggest, it will be fascinating to see whether there's an alternative option in mind. Given the lack of spacing between Green and star forward Jimmy Butler, one has to assume that the Warriors starting center has to be a perimeter shooting threat.
Perhaps the Warriors may explore potential trade scenarios for a big man this offseason, yet otherwise their disinterest in Lopez suggests that the hope of adding a veteran big may not be fulfilled.