At the moment, the Philadelphia 76ers’ roster is crafted to perfection. There’s already no stopping their starting lineup, headlined by four superstars in Tyrese Maxey, Jaylen Brown, LeBron James, and Joel Embiid. Then they have guys like VJ Edgecomb, Anfernee Simons, and LaBaron Philon to contribute in their respective roles. That’s about as stacked as it gets, and it’s easy to see why they’re the favorites to not only come out of the Eastern Conference, but win the NBA championship altogether.
However, one hole exists, and it’s evident: the backup center position. Neither Ariel Hukprti nor Adem Bona is suited to support Embiid in the second unit, which is why the LA Clippers could present the 76ers with a mid-season buyout target in Brook Lopez, as mentioned by Adam Aaronson on the “Third Apron” podcast hosted by Yossi Gozlan.
This makes complete sense for the Clippers to do, given Lopez’s flaws will be brought to light early, and the front office may want him gone following Yanic Konan Niderhauser’s return.
Brook Lopez could easily get bought out by the Clippers
The primary reason the LA Clippers will want to part ways with Brook Lopez in the middle of the season, potentially via a buyout, is because of his production. As a center, three-point shooting can only get you so far. If the seven-footer cannot make an impact inside on the offensive side of the ball, he’s not going to last.
That describes Lopez to a T, and to top it off, the one-time All-Star provides the bare minimum on the glass. For context, he averaged just 3.6 rebounds in 75 games for the Clippers last season, which is atrocious.
The other reason is that when Yanic Konan Niederhauser returns from a Lisfranc injury that ended his rookie year early, the Clippers won’t need Lopez, even the slightest.
Niederhauser consistently showed strong, promising flashes of being the team’s center of the future in the minutes he played, and has appeared to put on a significant amount of muscle during the offseason.
So, why waste a roster spot, and a share of the playing time available for the frontcourt rotation, on Lopez when he no longer belongs?
It’s not like the Clippers are short-staffed at big men either. Baba Miller and Isaiah Jackson are also there on standard contracts.
That said, a buyout with Lopez seems like a strong possibility, and the Philadelphia 76ers need him more than anyone, especially when taking into account the injury history of Joel Embiid.
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