While Stephen Curry‘s hamstring injury hastened the Golden State Warriors‘ playoff exit, their lack of size also made them vulnerable.
After barely surviving the Houston Rockets‘ two-big lineup in the first round, the Warriors did not stand a chance against the bigger and better Minnesota Timberwolves team in the second round.
Julius Randle threw his weight around. Rudy Gobert stood tall. The imposing Minnesota frontcourt dominated Draymond Green and the Warriors’ small frontcourt.
Outside of Green, Golden State coach Steve Kerr relied on the undersized Kevon Looney and the inexperienced duo of Trayce Jackson-Davis and rookie Quinten Post.
Addressing the center position is the Warriors’ top priority, according to ESPN’s front office insider Bobby Marks, who singled out one veteran free-agent center whom they could target in free agency.
“I think the one name to keep an eye on regarding that center position is Brook Lopez,” Marks said on “NBA Today” on Thursday. “Stanford graduate. He makes his home in Fresno [California]. What is the number on a Brook Lopez-type contract if you can get him on a one-year flyer here to patch up that center position because the center market is thin?
“When you look at Myles Turner, you’re probably not going to afford him. The next best guy out there is Brook Lopez.”
Brook Lopez’s Potential Fit With Warriors
The 7-foot-1 Lopez earned $23 million this past season. He’s turning 37 next season but he is still a serviceable big man.
The longtime Milwaukee Bucks center averaged 13.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.9 blocks across 80 games this past season. A 3-and-D center, Lopez fits the Warriors style of play. He shot 37.3% from the 3-point line and hasn’t shot below 36% over the last four seasons.
Most importantly, he also has a championship pedigree as the defensive anchor of the Bucks title team in 2021.
If they can get Lopez, Green can slide back to power forward, his natural position. A Lopez-Green frontcourt tandem can make the Warriors’ defense — the best in the NBA since Jimmy Butler‘s arrival at the trade deadline — even more formidable.
Lopez is at his best in drop coverage, while Green is better suited as weakside, roaming defender as opposed to being the backline of defense, a role he played this past season which made him vulnerable to bigger centers.
Lopez headlines a thin free-agent center class this summer that also include Atlanta’s Clint Capela, Minnesota’s Naz Reid (player option) and Boston’s Al Horford.
Jonathan Kuminga is Warriors’ Swing Piece
The Warriors’ financial ability to add someone like Lopez or any starting-caliber center will depend on what they do with restricted free agent Jonathan Kuminga.
“The Kuminga contract will determine as far as what flexibility they have,” Marks said. “Will they have that non-tax mid-level exception here?”
In his ESPN offseason preview for the Warriors, Marks explained that Golden State is $17.5 million below the luxury tax without Kuminga on the roster, meaning if they let him walk.
That will open up their $14.1 million non-tax midlevel exception which could be enough to land Lopez.
But the Warriors are expected to extend Kuminga his $7.9 million qualifying offer, according to The Athletic, which will make him a restricted free agent in July to have leverage. They can match any offer sheet Kuminga might received from another team or work with him in a sign-and-trade to get a player, ideally a center, back.
