The Milwaukee Bucks are still licking their wounds after the Miami Heat stunned them by knocking them out in the first round of the playoffs.
However, they could be setting themselves up for a big rebound campaign this coming season, as they have managed to retain much of the core that won them the NBA championship just two calendar years ago.
They re-signed Khris Middleton, who is arguably their second-best player, and they also got starting center Brook Lopez to remain in the land of beer and cheese on a new contract.
Lopez is set for some big paydays, as his new contract is reportedly worth $48 million over the next two years, with further details provided by Keith Smith.
Brook Lopez’s new contract with the Milwaukee Bucks is for $48M over two years. The deal starts at $25M and descends to $23M for Year 2, a league source told @spotrac.
— Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) July 7, 2023
It is a considerable amount of money for a man who has made just one All-Star team, back in the 2012-13 season as a member of the Brooklyn Nets.
But he has still been a very key member of the Bucks ever since they signed him as a free agent five years ago.
Lopez averaged 15.9 points, 6.7 rebounds, and a career-high 2.5 blocked shots a game this past season while being named to the All-Defensive First-Team.
His ability to hit the long ball (he shot 37.4 percent from 3-point range during the 2022-23 season) helps lure opposing centers out of the paint and open things up for Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Milwaukee will have a new head coach in Adrian Griffin, a former player who has never been an NBA head coach before but does have 15 seasons of assistant coach experience, most recently with the Toronto Raptors.
Griffin was actually an assistant with the Bucks during the 2008-09 and 2009-10 seasons.
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NBA Insider Reveals Giannis Antetokounmpo Injury Update
