A trade involving Brooklyn Nets center Brook Lopez appears likely to happen before the deadline, with the latest reports indicating the Denver Nuggets and the Oklahoma City Thunder are still pursuing deals to acquire him.
After putting their core players on the block, Brooklyn reportedly came close to trading Lopez to Oklahoma City. But the deal fell through, purportedly because Nets general manager Billy King didn't like what he was getting in return and pulled out of the negotiations.
Lopez still appears to be available, but King seems to think he can get more for Lopez than Oklahoma City and Denver initially offered in separate proposals. With that being said, both teams are expected to try again to land the 7-footer before the trade deadline passes.
"... (There) will be no shortage of suitors, and the Nuggets are expected to be among them," Christopher Dempsey of the Denver Post wrote Thursday. "They've already made one run at it, but were rebuffed along with everyone else by the Nets in favor of negotiations with Oklahoma City, and those talks got intense before breaking down. But there remains plenty of time before the Feb. 19 trade deadline, and the Nuggets have a lot to offer if they want to gamble."
Denver's assets include future first-round draft picks, Arron Afflalo, Wilson Chandler and Kenneth Faried. General manager Tim Connelly has indicated before any player is available to be had, but it's a matter of what he would be willing to give up for an injury-prone center who can become a free agent after the season.
Oklahoma City will also remain in the Lopez sweepstakes, according to Grantland's Zach Lowe.
"The Thunder under Sam Presti have long had an affection for Lopez; one former Thunder official revealed to me two years ago that the franchise thought seriously about drafting Lopez over Russell Westbrook in 2008," Lowe wrote Wednesday. "The Thunder were on the verge of acquiring Lopez at a super-cheap price - something like Jeremy Lamb, Grant Jerrett, and Kendrick Perkins's expiring contract - until the Nets wisely pulled back to further test the market. I'd expect the Thunder to inquire on Lopez again soon."
In addition to Denver and Oklahoma City, the Miami Heat and the Houston Rockets reportedly are interested in trading for Lopez.
