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3 Milwaukee Bucks players Orlando Magic could look to add for next season

By Luke Duffy

MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - MARCH 01: Bobby Portis #9 of the Milwaukee Bucks drives to the basket on Paolo Banchero #5 of the Orlando Magic during the first half of the game at Fiserv Forum on March 01, 2023 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by John Fisher/Getty Images)
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - MARCH 01: Bobby Portis #9 of the Milwaukee Bucks drives to the basket on Paolo Banchero #5 of the Orlando Magic during the first half of the game at Fiserv Forum on March 01, 2023 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by John Fisher/Getty Images) /
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MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN – MARCH 01: Brook Lopez of the Milwaukee Bucks reacts. (Photo by John Fisher/Getty Images)
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN – MARCH 01: Brook Lopez of the Milwaukee Bucks reacts. (Photo by John Fisher/Getty Images) /

3 Milwaukee Bucks players Magic could look to add for next season.

3. Brook Lopez

An easy place to start that makes sense for a ton of reasons, center Brook Lopez is a player the Orlando Magic should be enquiring about this summer. Best of all, they do not even need to contact the Bucks to do this, as Lopez is an unrestricted free agent.

At 35 years old, Lopez has won a ring and may be looking for one last, reasonable payday before calling it a career. He was incredibly durable during the regular season, missing all but four games and starting in every contest. The 30.4 minutes per game he averaged were also the most he managed since he was 28, all the back in 2017.

In that time, Lopez has seemingly miraculously turned himself into one of the best defenders in the league. He is a constant paint deterrent, slowing defenses down in drop coverage long enough for Giannis Antetokounmpo to help clean everything up.

It may be that Lopez wants to join an organization that is trying to win it all, and that is understandable. But in signing for the Magic, he could play in a state where there is no income tax, and push Wendell Carter Jr. hard for the starting position.

Even if Lopez does come off the bench, he would be providing Carter with a ton of knowledge and would be keeping him honest in the process. Lopez has to be a cheaper and better option than former Magic great Nikola Vucevic as well, right?

We know Lopez has morphed into an excellent 3-point shooter, and he nailed 37.4 percent of them during the regular season. For context, that would have ranked higher than Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner, Markelle Fultz and Carter Jr. The Magic’s four best players right now.

With Moe Wagner an unrestricted free agent himself, and Bol Bol having regressed mightily from the player he was early in the campaign, the Magic’s depth at the center position is not as bountiful as it may appear. Goga Bitadze is not a sure thing to return either. Lopez is also an elite defender, meaning there is zero reason not to pick up the phone and check-in.