With the Lance Stephenson to the Nets trade rumors “officially” dead again, Nets general manager Billy King is now in talks with the Oklahoma City Thunder to send his former all-star center, Brook Lopez to the Thunder directly, in return for Jeremy Lamb and Kendrick Perkins according to ESPN’s Chris Broussard.
Lopez has been the topic of trade rumors with the Nets his entire career. First with Dwight Howard during the Nets transition from New Jersey to Brooklyn, earlier this season, and up to now.
The move seems to be a salary dump for the Nets, taking back smaller contracts like Perkins, Lamb, and most likely another player.
Lopez is due over $15 million this season and has a $16 million player option for next season, which he will more than likely pick up due to his foot problems. When healthy, Lopez is one of the most dominant offensive centers. The big man went five-straight years of averaging 20 plus points per game. Recent foot and ankle problems have slowed him down, as he’s averaging just under 15 points and 6.3 rebounds per game.
Reports came out last night of a possible three team trade that would have sent Lopez to the Thunder with Lance Stephenson coming to his home city of Brooklyn in a three-team trade involving the Nets, Thunder, and Hornets. Brooklyn apparently became unwilling to deal with Stephenson, who signed with Charlotte this past offseason.
The trading deadline is February 19th. It will be interesting to see if Lance Stephenson or Brook Lopez will be traded by then, or if those talks die down, and they stay on their current teams.
