So it turns out Brook Lopez was really close to joining the Oklahoma City Thunder last season.
Like, super close.
Nets Daily rehashed our memory with some additional details:
Maybe Brook remembers that Sam Presti decided against trading for him at 2:40 p.m. last February, after he had packed and overnight bag.
— NetsDaily.com (@NetsDaily) January 25, 2016
Told Brook was told to get off team bus, then told to get back on
— NetsDaily.com (@NetsDaily) January 25, 2016
Whoa, so that was close.
The addition of Lopez to the Thunder roster would have been insane. He’s more polished offensively than Enes Kanter, and his defense, unlike Kanter’s, is improving.
But Kanter, as Thunder general manager Sam Presti came to decide, was the better fit. Oklahoma City had control over his future, since he was slated for restricted free agency. Lopez would have been an unrestricted free agent; he would not only have cost more to retain, but he might have left.
Besides, the Thunder can bring Kanter off the bench and wouldn’t have enjoyed that freedom with Lopez. He’s an All-Star at his position, and in order to keep him satisfied, as well as in Oklahoma City, they would have needed to guarantee a starting spot.
