2. Will Brook Lopez stick around?
It’s the question few people want to tackle: Lopez is this team’s most talented player, and the team undoubtedly played better without him. You know the story: the Nets lost Lopez for the year on December 20th, with the team 9-17 following an overtime loss to the Philadelphia 76ers, and turned their season around without him.
Lopez stuck with the team, joining them on the bench as the season progressed and even warming up in game shorts before some games. Billy King has praised Lopez’s recovery at every step, which includes a recovery from a surgery that was done specifically to re-align his foot and lessen the stress on the broken bone.
It’s a good sign that he’s improving physically, but cynics (hi!) might argue that King’s pumping up his center’s trade value. It’s an intriguing thought: Lopez has admitted that he’d have to change his style to fit into the new Nets scheme, and that might not come naturally to him. There are some reads that can be taught, but Lopez hasn’t progressed rapidly as a passer out of the low post, and his assist rate has actually been at its lowest in Brooklyn, despite the team’s plethora of offensive options. He may just be a bad fit.
But what could they do? Beckley Mason at TrueBrooklyn floated an idea around a package from the Denver Nuggets that would include Danilo Gallinari and draft picks. New Orleans Pelicans guard Eric Gordon is unhappy in his city, and Lopez could be reunited with former best friend Ryan Anderson. Or, if the Nets want to become even more Atlanta Hawks-ish, Josh Smith is always lurking in Detroit, though Lopez would crowd Detroit’s flush front line.
None of those are particularly appealing options, though. And Lopez is still the player they built a 49-33 team around a year earlier. If he can stay healthy, this may be the time to hold on to him, to not overreact to the team’s resurgence after his departure.
My guess: The Nets look for suitors for Lopez under the table, but nobody gives them an appealing enough offer, and he begins the season trying to fit in to Jason Kidd’s new offense.
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