2018 NBA free agency grades: Bucks adding Brook Lopez

The Milwaukee Bucks added a floor-spacing center in Brook Lopez. While he’s no longer the All-Star he was in Brooklyn, Lopez should have a big impact for the Bucks.

In the modern NBA, it seems as if everyone is shooting 3s. Guards and wings, of course, but lumbering big men, too. And it’s not just the young guys, like the Jaren Jacksons and Wendell Carters of the world, but the weathered veteran big men who never had before.

Through Brook Lopez’s first eight seasons, the center out of Stanford attempted 31 3-pointers. He made three.

In the two years since, Lopez has launched 712 triples (making 34.6 percent), which is 84 more than any seven-footer in the NBA. From a non-shooter, Lopez has evolved into a high-volume marksman, transforming himself into an invaluable asset in a league that seemed headed away from his slow-footed style of play.

Lopez’s new mold — floor-spacer — is an archetype the Milwaukee Bucks have desperately needed since the ascendance of Giannis Antetokounmpo.

I’ve written before that the key to fully unlocking Giannis is not (as is often assumed) the superstar unicorn adding a jumper, but Milwaukee surrounding him with shooters to open up the paint, where he’s historically unstoppable.

The Bucks have turned to Thon Maker to be that essential floor-spacer at center. Maker’s hesitance and ineffectiveness from 3, however, have limited his gravity and his ability to fabricate driving lanes for the Bucks’ freakish superstar.

Now, the Bucks have another option:

Lopez is coming to Milwaukee on a one-year pact worth $3.4 million. It’s a small investment for Milwaukee, but a worthwhile one.

In Lopez, Milwaukee’s adding one of the most prolific floor-spacing centers in the NBA, a player who will make Antetokounmpo’s life easier simply by existing.

Now, Lopez is far from a perfect player (there are, of course, reasons why he was available for the miniscule Bi-Annual Exception). He is an anemic rebounder. He’s a solid shot-blocker, but as the NBA moves toward mobility and versatility, Lopez isn’t exactly the most natural fit. In the playoffs, it’s hard to see him hanging with the East’s dominant centers, like Al Horford and Joel Embiid.

There are consequences beyond Lopez, too:

Because Milwaukee used its Mid-Level Exception to sign Ersan Ilyasova, the team is hard-capped at the Apron ($6 million above the luxury tax line). With every deal the Bucks ink, the franchise has less and less to offer Jabari Parker.

The Lopez signing makes a long-term deal for Parker in Milwaukee less likely. If Parker’s a Buck in 2018-19, it is likely he’ll be playing on a one-year deal after accepting his $4.3 million qualifying offer. Meanwhile, a team with cap space could easily present Parker with an offer sheet Milwaukee would be unable to match.

There’s also the Bucks’ depth chart, which is now fairly imbalanced, featuring Lopez, Maker, John Henson, Tyler Zeller and potentially Ilyasova at center. The Bucks certainly won’t carry four or five centers, which means Zeller’s Milwaukee tenure should be coming to an end (expect his non-guaranteed $1.9 million salary to be waived).

Even the negatives associated with adding Lopez don’t seem all that bad. A long-term deal for Parker would likely be a mistake. Surrendering a second round pick for Zeller at the trade deadline was unwise, and Milwaukee’s unlikely to miss the journeyman’s limited impact.

Brook Lopez is a good basketball player. He’s not the All-Star he was in Brooklyn, when ground-bound centers were king, but he’s good. He’s evolved. He’s useful. He fills an essential role for the Bucks. Lopez is a low-risk tool to maximize the Bucks’ franchise player, making him an excellent addition.

Next: 2018 NBA free agency tracker: Grades for every deal so far

Grade: A