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The Chicago Bulls do not intend to buy out Robin Lopez today, meaning the Golden State Warriors will be unable to add the veteran center to their roster.
Players have to be waived by their current team by the end of March 1 in order to be playoff-eligible should they join a new team. In other words, if the Bulls waive Lopez anytime after today, he would not be able to play in the postseason for the Warriors (or any other team).
And, according to Marc Stein of The New York Times, the Bulls have no intention of saying goodbye to Lopez today.
The Bulls, meanwhile, have been adamant they won't buy out Robin Lopez ... apparently determined to keep him away from the Warriors. Doesn't look at all like something will change in the next 12 hours; RoLo would not be playoff-eligible unless he is bough out by 11:59 PM tonight
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) March 1, 2019
Lopez and the Warriors have been linked for a while, with reported mutual interest should a buyout occur. But after the Bulls shook things up - and lost starting center Wendell Carter Jr. to injury - Lopez has moved from the back of the bench into a starting role. And he seems happy staying in Chicago, even though the Bulls are far out of the playoff race.
With Lopez seemingly off the table, there aren’t many options left for the Warriors as they look to fill their 15th roster spot. With the limited choices, I would think that two-way contract (and Steph Curry brother-in-law) Damion Lee is now the frontrunner to earn a contract.
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