The Golden State Warriors have had their eye on Bulls’ center Robin Lopez since December, after Damian Jones went down for the season, before DeMarcus Cousins made his debut with the team.
The Warriors were struggling with frontcourt depth, and even after Cousins’ in the fold, the Warriors were still keeping tabs on Lopez, who they scouted through the trade deadline and who they’ve been waiting to see if he’d hit the buyout market.
According to the Chicago Tribune, the Bulls will not buyout Lopez before today’s deadline for players to be eligible for postseason play.
There are many reasons why Lopez will remain with the Bulls past Friday’s deadline to be waived and eligible for the playoffs with another team. His critical role and strong communication with the coaching staff and management are among them.
“It’s been so much fun playing with these guys,” Lopez said. “It’s something I want to be a part of the rest of the season.”
Lopez is reportedly so happy with his role with the Bulls, logging about 30 minutes a night, that he’s considering re-signing with the team in free agency next season.
Lopez not receiving a buyout is a minor blow to the Warriors quest for some added frontcourt depth, but not anything the team can’t move past. Jordan Bell has been playing well as of late and Marcin Gortat, another buyout candidate, has been turning down other teams in hopes of receiving an offer from the Warriors.
The Warriors could sit this buyout season out and just run with the team that they have. There’s no word on what the Warriors Plan B is yet, but we do know that any plan that they had for shoring up this year’s roster will not include Lopez.
