The Brooklyn Nets’ longstanding fire sale hasn’t seen them do any selling. Might the Miami Heat change their mind?
According to ESPN New York’s Ohm Youngmisuk, the Heat are among the teams registering interest in a Brook Lopez trade:
Hearing Nets continue to talk to teams about Brook Lopez. Sources say Miami has shown a strong interest.
— Ohm Youngmisuk (@NotoriousOHM) January 14, 2015
Trading any of their pricy pacts makes sense for the Nets. Whatever helps whittle down their astronomical luxury-tax bill as they try to sell the team is an avenue worth exploring.
Of all the players they should be shopping hard, though, Lopez is the least of their concerns. He’s injury-prone and earning $15-plus million this season, but he’s waaaaaaay healthier than Deron Williams and holds a player option for 2015-16. The latter is especially important; it means he could be an expiring contract as is, without the Nets doing anything. Unless they’re receiving picks and/or prospects in return for his services, then,—or perhaps using him as a buffer to move Joe Johnson or D-Will (unlikely)—there’s no rush in showing him the door.
And the Heat of all suitors aren’t going to satisfy any of those requirements. They have no valuable picks to offer, and they’re paper-thin on prospects. Pat Riley will have enough trouble making salaries match up in any deal. Assuming Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade are untouchable, Luol Deng is the only remaining sizable contract on the roster that could help grease the wheels of this agreement.
But acquiring him makes little to no sense for the Nets. He, too, holds a player option for next season, and employing both him and Johnson would be redundant—not to mention extra expensive.
Lopez is also a puzzling target for the Heat. He’s a strong scorer and okay rebounder, but they already have Chris Bosh. Though the two could play alongside each other—credit Bosh’s range for that—Lopez isn’t what the Heat’s admittedly middling offense needs. They’re light on floor-spacers more than anything. Landing Lopez only compounds the problem; they have to find him touches inside the elbow in addition to (probably) shipping out a shooter or two just to get him.
Lopez doesn’t move the needle on defense either, where the Heat rank 24th in points allowed per 100 possessions, according to NBA.com. He’ll get his fair share of blocks as a 7-footer, and Lionel Hollins has gleaned more effort out of him than any other coach, but he’s a lateral move from Chris Andersen at best.
So, basically, Lopez is expensive and doesn’t do anything the Heat desperately need.
Something smells funky.
Must be the aroma of trade season—the time of year during which we talk about things getting done without most of said things ever actually getting done.
This rumor will, in all likelihood, wind up being one of those talked-about, never-actualized things.
