Lionel Hollins is not counting down the days until Brook Lopez leaves in free agency.
It’s just the opposite.
From The Brooklyn Game’s Devin Kharpertian:
Lionel Hollins has been at odds with Brook Lopez at times this season. But that doesn’t mean he wants a breakup.
“I don’t worry about whether he’s going to be a free agent, whether he’s going to be back, or anything like that,” Hollins said. “Obviously I’d like for him to be back. I hope he’s going to be back. But those decisions are not mine, and I don’t worry about it.”
When pressed further about his role in the team’s decision-making process, Hollins grew exasperated. “I just said I want him back. How many damn times do I have to say that? Damn.”
Hollins then turned to each individual reporter, repeating the mantra: “I want him back. I want him back. I want him back. Okay, everybody got it? I want him back. I want him back. But it’s still his call.”
Given how that reads, it seems like Hollins threw a mini temper tantrum there. Repeating anything 10 times over gives off that vibe.
Anyway…Lopez can decline his player option worth nearly $16.8 million for next season and elect to hit the open market, at which point one must assume the Brooklyn Nets would let him walk. It would cost tens of millions of dollars to retain him, and they’re devoid of direction, seemingly waiting for their current contracts to expire. Investing that much coin in an injury-prone center, however talented, puts whatever flexibility they have or plan on having in peril.
But Lopez could also roll the dice, pick up his player option, play through next season and hope to capitalize on the league’s impending cap boon in 2016.
Whatever Lopez decides to do, it seems like Hollins wants him back. Know how we know this? Because Hollins said he wants him back.
It’s really tough to tell if he will be back, since it’s impossible to really know which route he’ll take. Lopez hasn’t dropped any hints, and there’s a strong chance he doesn’t even know what he’s going to do.
From a financial standpoint, it makes sense to wait and chase the larger-than-life contract in 2016. But that’s quite the dice roll for Lopez. He’s battled ankle injuries on and off over the past few years, and if he aggravates an older injury next season, it could cost him tens of millions of dollars.
Hitting the open market sooner could also make sense from an exclusivity standpoint. Plenty of players have structured their contracts so they won’t hit the available pool until next summer, while some of this year’s talent will be looking for one-year pacts that allow them to exploit the salary-cap eruption in 2016. Theoretically, there should be a need for players willing to sign long-term deals now, so teams can essentially lock them up at discounted rates and have more concrete holds on their future.
Just remember that, no matter what, Lionel Hollins wants Lopez back.
Never mind the rotations that say otherwise.
Or his infatuation with Mason Plumlee.
Or his seeming and seething disdain for Lopez at different points this season.
He wants him back.
