LeBron s last dance countdown? Lakers plot to poach the Bucks champion tower

With the NBA free agent market negotiations to start next week, all reports will attract close attention. The Los Angeles Lakers are as usual one of the most watched teams. LeBron James is expected to execute his $52.5 million player option for the 2025-26 season, but that means he will be a free agent after the end of the season. Whether it's retirement or signing with other teams, this could be his final season for the Lakers.

Therefore, if this is indeed James' last chance to compete for the second championship for the Lakers, the team's lineup will be particularly important.

According to reporter Jack Fisher, one of the center candidates that the Lakers intend to pursue is Brooke Lopez.

"Many competitor teams are ready and the Los Angeles Lakers, who are eager for center, are expected to chase Lopez with all their might in an attempt to poach him from the Bucks. " Fisher wrote in a column on Mark Stein on Saturday night.

Lopez played for the Lakers in the 2017-18 season, only one year away from the James era. The Lakers acquired him through a trade, and he signed with the Milwaukee Bucks in the offseason the following year. During his seven seasons with the Bucks, he not only won the championship with the team, but also became the team's key defensive pillar and offensive space point.

Lopez is most praised for his reshaping the way big players play. In the first half of his career, he made less than five three-pointers per season, but later it increased to hundreds. This deliberate transformation perfectly fits modern basketball's concept of focusing on space and high-intensity three-point shooting.

Last season, he averaged 13.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game, shooting 50.9% from the field and 37.3% from three-point shooting percentage.

In this year's free agent market, the Lakers are expected to be one of many teams chasing the powerful center.

(text/mango)