We may finally have a conclusion to the Brook Lopez trade saga soon. The Brooklyn Nets are determined to trade Lopez and could strike a deal by the end of the upcoming weekend, according to a report from Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.
The teams finished negotiating Thursday without a deal, Wojnarowski added.
The report says the Nets have fielded interest from the Denver Nuggets, Miami Heat, Los Angeles Lakers, and a current three-team deal that would include the Oklahoma City Thunder & Charlotte Hornets and bring Lance Stephenson to Brooklyn:
Denver has discussed a package centered on center JaVale McGee, but his consistent problems with injuries have discouraged the Nets’ interest, sources said. Miami raised the idea of a package including Chris Andersen, Norris Cole and Josh McRoberts, sources told Yahoo Sports. The Los Angeles Lakers have expressed interest too, sources said.
The Charlotte Hornets have a strong interest in making a deal for Lopez, but league sources believe the Nets are focused on dealing Lopez to the Western Conference, league sources told Yahoo.
Brooklyn officials have been re-canvassing the league for intel on Hornets guard Lance Stephenson, trying to measure the risk-reward of bringing him back to his hometown, league sources said. Charlotte and Brooklyn talked several weeks ago, but discussions cooled when the Nets were reluctant to acquire Stephenson as part of a broader package, league sources said.
Via Yahoo! Sports — Sources: Nets determined to trade Lopez soon
The exact parameters of the deal are unclear, but they would assuredly involve the Thunder dealing Kendrick Perkins (likely to the Nets) to make salaries match, and likely Nets guard Jarrett Jack going to Oklahoma City. Chris Broussard of ESPN reported that the Hornets & Thunder have already agreed to the deal, and are waiting on the Nets to join in.
Lopez is the longest-tenured Nets player and has been with the team since the 2008 NBA Draft, playing 371 games in a Nets uniform. The Thunder considered drafting him over Russell Westbrook on draft night. He has averaged 14.6 points and 6.3 rebounds per game this season, coming off the bench since returning from a lower back strain.
