The NBA is coming down ultra-hard on the Los Angeles Clippers following an investigation into allegations of salary-cap circumvention. For the time being, the New York Knicks will only be impacted if and when the Kawhi Leonard trade to the Toronto Raptors is officially consummated.
But soon enough, if not down the line, the league’s decision to take a sledgehammer to the Clippers’ outlook could put Brook Lopez on the reigning champions’ radar.
Los Angeles is being fined $30 million and getting docked five first-round picks as part of the NBA’s punishment. Ramifications also include suspensions for owner Steve Ballmer, president of business operations Gillian Zucker, and president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank.
This is the type of disciplinary haymaker that can debilitate a franchise for the next decade or more. Ballmer plans to fight the ruling, but assuming he has any recourse, it’s tough to imagine him emerging victorious when Kawhi effectively already waved the white flag.
That brings us to Lopez, a 38-year-old on an expiring $9.2 million contract. Though he currently profiles as the Clippers’ starting center, would you really want to waste away on a team now consigned to going nowhere?
The Knicks’ path to getting Brook Lopez is pretty straightforward
Any Lopez-to-the-Knicks scenario will not play out via trade. New York would need to ship out Deuce McBride, Pacome Dadiet, and Tyler Kolek just to match the big man’s salary. From there, it would need to fill out another three roster spots.
Landing Lopez would require a buyout. Whether that comes from the Clippers or another team he’s traded to as part of a wholesale L.A. pivot is irrelevant. The Knicks need him to clear waivers to have a shot at pitching him on joining them for the minimum.
While this is far from a given, it’s not the toughest sell, either. Lopez would have the chance to entrench himself as Karl-Anthony Towns’ primary backup. Signing Andre Drummond at the minimum was a good move, but he’s always felt like a placeholder for someone better.
Even at his advanced age, Lopez is that someone. He doesn’t promise as much rebounding, but his outside shooting is more bankable. Lopez has also rated in the 86th percentile or better of points saved at the rim per 100 possessions in each of the past eight seasons. Drummond has never finished higher than the 50th percentile.
Of course, Lopez doesn’t bring the mobility New York lost in Mitchell Robinson. His ability to play in tandem with Towns is debatable, too. But the Knicks aren’t in a position to be that choosy. Plus, Lopez has a better chance of surviving in space and playing alongside Towns for small-to-moderate bursts than Drummond.
Targeting Lopez could demand the Knicks remain patient
Given the independent law firm investigating the Clippers just released its findings, we can’t say for certain Lopez will be a buyout candidate. That much may not become clear until the middle of the season.
And you know what? That’s perfectly okay.
The Knicks don’t need Lopez to broker a buyout now to have a legitimate shot at him. They can scoop him up if he hits the open market later. The CBA prohibits teams operating over the first apron from signing players midseason making more than the non-taxpayer mid-level exception. Lopez’s $9.2 million salary checks in comfortably south of the $15 million MLE.
None of this means New York should embrace a holding pattern with Lopez in mind. It has other targets worth exploring.
For flexibility-starved teams, however, every possible option matters. And thanks to the NBA laying the smackdown on the Clippers’ present and future, the Knicks can add another name to their rolodex of possibilities.
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