Brooklyn Nets’ center Brook Lopez has been expected to opt out of his contract for some time now, and he reportedly did today, according to Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News.
Source: Brook Lopez has opted out of his contract.
— Stefan Bondy (@SBondyNYDN) June 26, 2015
While this doesn’t necessarily mean that Lopez will leave the Nets, it is a possibility. Lopez has often been held back by injuries, but he is an elite center when healthy and will definitely have suitors, such as the Milwaukee Bucks.
The Nets appreciate what Lopez brings to the table, and want to keep him. The Nets showed their desire to keep Lopez when they traded young center Mason Plumlee in a draft-day deal for Rondae Hollis-Jefferson.
From Tim Bontemps of the New York Post:
Trading Mason Plumlee only reinforces a growing belief that Brook Lopez won't be going anywhere next month.
— Tim Bontemps (@TimBontemps) June 26, 2015
From what we’ve heard, it sounds like the ideal situation for the Nets would be to sign Lopez to a 2-year deal, with the final year being an option. Lopez, however, is coming off a max contract and will likely want a new one. Lopez will be looking for a 5-year max deal. I would expect Brooklyn to do all that they can to keep Lopez. Sure, he’s been injury-prone throughout his career, but he’s a superb center and at age 27, is still fairly young.
While multiple teams, such as the Bucks, will be after Lopez, the Nets are still likely to sign him, according to Adrian Wojnarowki of Yahoo! Sports
After Brook Lopez opted out of contract today, the Nets remain a strong frontrunner to re-sign him, league sources tell Yahoo Sports.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) June 26, 2015
So, sounds like the Nets will likely keep their franchise cornerstone. That’s great news for them. Their franchise is in a bit of a rut, and they need to hold on to the small amount of elite talent they have as they attempt to rebuild.
