Sources: R. Lopez picks Knicks, with stipulation
Free agent center Robin Lopez has picked the New York Knicks over the Los Angeles Lakers, sources told ESPN.com’s Marc Stein, and will sign with the Knicks as long as DeAndre Jordan, as expected, chooses the Los Angeles Clippers or Dallas Mavericks and not the Knicks.
Lopez, 27, played the past two seasons with the Portland Trail Blazers. He was selected 15th overall by the Phoenix Suns in 2008, playing his first four seasons there. The New Orleans Pelicans acquired him via sign-and-trade in 2012, with Lopez starting all 82 games that season. The Blazers acquired him in a three-team trade before the 2013-14 season.
The 7-foot center, an unrestricted free agent, recorded 29 double-doubles and set a franchise record for offensive rebounds in his first season with the Blazers. He missed 23 games last season due to a broken hand suffered in December but still averaged 9.6 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game, anchoring Portland’s interior defense.
A seven-year veteran, Lopez holds career averages of 8.2 points and 5.0 rebounds in 465 games.
ESPN.com’s Royce Young contributed to this report.
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