NBA Rumors: 3 Potential Landing Spots For Robin Lopez

NBA trade season is officially over as the NBA Trade Deadline has come and gone. That being said, many teams will still be actively looking to add that one last piece to the championship puzzle, but they will have to rely on the actions of others in order to do so. Many players are expected to be bought out of their current contracts, making them free agents and allowing them to sign with any team they choose. Over the next couple of days, we will be looking at some of those buyout candidates, and which teams they will most likely end up with for the remainder of the 2021-22 season.

This article is highlighting Orlando Magic C Robin Lopez.

Milwaukee Bucks

The Milwaukee Bucks have already benefitted from the buyout market, signing former Brooklyn Nets guard Deandre Bembry for the rest of the season and they could be looking to add another player in the next coming days. The Bucks have been trying to find a suitable replacement for Brook Lopez, who underwent back surgery in December, and despite recently acquiring 6'10" Serge Ibaka at the trade deadline, the defending champs would be wise to stock up on big men ahead of potential playoff matchups with the 76ers Joel Embiid or the Bam Adebayo of the Heat.

Perhaps the answer is Brook's twin brother Robin, who is currently playing for the worst team in the entire NBA, the Orlando Magic, and is expected to be bought out soon. Robin doesn't have the offensive skill set that Brook does, and he isn't quite as good of a defender, but he is a legit 7-footer who is known for setting hard screens and playing with intensity on both ends of the floor. The Bucks recently tried out Greg Monroe on a 10-day contract but do not plan on resigning him, opening the door for Lopez.

Golden State Warriors

As talented as they may be, the Golden State Warriors do not have a lot of size, which could quickly become a problem in the postseason. The Warriors are in second place in the Western Conference with a 42-17 record, and if current trends continue they will find themselves playing the seventh seed in the first round of the playoffs. Any one of the Minnesota Timberwolves, Denver Nuggets, or Los Angeles Lakers could end up being their first-round opponents and those teams combine to have 4 of the top 11 points in the paint scorers in the NBA this season (Karl Anthony-Towns, Nikola Jokic, Anthony Davis, and LeBron James).

The Warriors could use a big body like Lopez to help clog the lane and would give the Warriors their only true center outside of rookie James Wiseman, who is still developing his game after being selected 2nd overall in the 2020 NBA Draft.

Boston Celtics

The Boston Celtics may seem like an odd fit at first glance, as they already have Al Horford, Robert Williams III, and the recently reacquired Daniel Theis. However, the Eastern Conference has a handful of talented big men, and having an extra six fouls on the bench can be crucial late in games.

The Celtics will likely have to take on The Milwaukee Bucks and 2x league MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo if they plan on making it to the Finals, and while there's no stopping the 'Greek Freak', you can try to slow him down by putting him through screens when he's on defense and fouling him hard when he drives to the basket. Having a plethora of bigs who can do that over a seven-game series would be a worthwhile tool and acquiring Robin Lopez not only makes them better, but it prevents the Bucks (and other Eastern Conference teams) from signing the 33-year-old veteran for themselves.