Hypothetical NBA trades that don’t come true are the worst—especially those that would have been awesome.
Like this one.
According to ESPN New York’s Ohm Youngmisuk, the Brooklyn Nets and Oklahoma City Thunder talked shop on a deal involving Brook Lopez:
Nets Daily confirmed the rumor, which at this point, will never come to fruition.
The Thunder already absorbed Dion Waiters’ salary and are dipping their feet into luxury-tax territory for the first time ever at the moment. Taking on Lopez’s $15.7 million salary just isn’t in the cards. If anything, the Thunder will be looking to shed some salary—perhaps Reggie Jackson’s, since he’s set to hit restricted free agency and earn some serious cash—in an effort to creep back below the luxury-tax threshold.
There’s also little incentive for the Nets to pull the trigger on this deal now. They’re 6-3 over their last nine games, and Lopez has been a huge part of that, even though he’s not the unquestioned focal point he once was.
Brook Lopez is averaging 20.7 ppg and 8.2 rebounds in last four games. Nets had won 6-of-7 before losing last two close games
— Ohm Youngmisuk (@NotoriousOHM) January 6, 2015
This is a deal that would have made more sense a couple weeks back, when the Nets appeared hell-bent on blowing things up. Kendrick Perkins’ expiring deal would have been valuable for obvious reasons. Lopez could wind up being an expiring pact himself, but only if he doesn’t exercise his player option worth nearly $16.8 million.
Usually an injury-prone player like him would opt out and try to secure long-term cash. But at only 26, Lopez could also opt in, betting on himself and an ability to capitalize on a projected cap boon in 2016.
If that’s the route he chooses, this would be an interesting deal to revisit over the summer—provided the Thunder can make the salaries match. With Perkins coming off the books, the Thunder—assuming they don’t re-sign Jackson—could possibly afford the $6-8 million increase in commitments. Hell, if the Nets begin imploding once again, there’s still a chance for this to happen.
Then again, Waiters’ presence changes things. He makes more than Jackson, so even if the Thunder move him, they’re put in an awkward financial situation if they’re trying to acquire Lopez. Perkins and Jackson make under $11.5 million combined, so Lopez would represent a $4.2 million uptick, in addition to Waiters’ $4 million salary.
On the bright side—for fans in support of trade-deadline activity—the Thunder are clearly trying to make some splashes. Lopez would have allowed them to run the most dangerous one-in, four-out lineups (Serge Ibaka is basically a stretch 4 at this point), seriously improving what has been a bottom-10 offense for most of this season. So, while this trade appears to be dead, the Thunder, even after landing Waiters, might not be done.
As for the Nets, well, their recent stretch of adequacy doesn’t foretell a dormant trade deadline. Not entirely. Deron Williams can still be considered expendable with Jarrett Jack balling and Joe Johnson anchoring the offense. If their present fortunes take a turn for the worst, expect rumors to swirl again.
Until then, enjoy playing another round of “What if…”
Dan Favale is a firm believer in the three-pointer as well as the notion that defense doesn’t always win championships. His musings can be found at Bleacherreport.com in addition to TheHoopDoctors.com.
