BROOKLYN, N.Y. – Brook Lopez was almost traded by the Brooklyn Nets last season. Lopez actually was almost traded from the Nets on more than one occasion last season. The rumor mill had Brook Lopez as one of the most talked about players that never got dealt last season.
The trade deadline came and went and as the free agency period was set to begin, Lopez’s name was once again brought up as a possible suitor with a team other than the Nets. The Milwaukee Bucks, coached by his former head coach with the Nets, Jason Kidd appeared to be interested.
Despite the number of rumors and teams interested in his talents, Brook Lopez had one goal in mind. Staying with the Brooklyn Nets.
Lopez said the following after the Nets introductory press conference for Brook, Thaddeus Young, Thomas Robinson and Shane Larkin.
“I heard from J-Kidd, we talked a little bit, but at the end of the day, I’m here right now. This is where I wanted to be. I was pretty confident on my end that I wanted to be here. There weren’t really any other serious destinations, I suppose. We obviously worked something out.”
Of course Lopez had to assure the commitment he made to the Nets during the actual press conference when he made a subtle comment in the direction of Nets GM Billy King.
“I think we’re committed to each other,” Lopez said, slowly looking at Billy King who was to his right.
The decision of Lopez staying with the team wasn’t done alone. He was also joined in returning by his frontcourt counterpart, Thaddeus Young. Lopez and Young enjoyed playing with each other last season and it wasn’t the first time the pair played alongside each other.
“We played together before when we were younger,” Lopez said. “Actually, being on the subway (traveling to the press conference) reminded me of 10 years ago. We were in France on the train in Paris going through. We’ve played together before obviously, but not in the league before. So there is some foundation there. Obviously we had to try to fit what Lionel was doing and everyone else. But I think we obviously work very well together.”
The chatter around the Nets only got louder with the news of star guard Deron Williams wanting to be released and possibly join the Dallas Mavericks. The roster is nowhere near finalized and they still need to possibly add another shooter and a star player. While the latter of the two options may not come as easy as the first, the team is still looking to improve. They still have a long way to go, especially in the improving Eastern Conference but Lopez and Young are two building blocks in something that could be great.
No one will project the Nets as a lock to make the playoffs, especially after they barely made it into the postseason last year. Still, despite that fact Brook Lopez notes that the Nets are quietly hovering in the middle of the NBA both with their roster moves and the talent they currently have and it’s not a bad thing,
“It’s not like we’re the ones making the noise or not making the noise regardless.” “I mean, when you look at a lot of the guys that performed well this season, you’ve got DeMarre Carroll, guys like Draymond Green, they’re not super-heralded guys coming into the season. You don’t know where they’re going to come from. I’m not guaranteeing anything from here, but we have a lot of guys that are working right now, and we do expect some things from them next season.”
Brooklyn could surprise some people next season. No, they won’t be rapidly climbing up the standings in the Eastern Conference and they might have some trouble in their own conference with the improvements some Eastern Conference teams have made. They have made some moves that are looking towards the future and they’re going to give some guys important minutes that other teams may have been scared to give in the past. Just don’t sleep on Brooklyn.
