The Brooklyn Nets appear to be driving a hard bargain for center Brook Lopez. Brooklyn reportedly turned down the Denver Nuggets' trade offer, which included center JaVale McGee and a future draft pick.
Denver failed in January to acquire Lopez, but true to a previous report, the team is still trying. They'll have to try harder though, according to ESPN's Marc Stein, who reported Brooklyn declined a new trade offer from Denver.
"The Brooklyn Nets continue to explore the possibility of trading center Brook Lopez but to date have resisted a serious push from the Denver Nuggets, according to league sources," Stein wrote Monday. "Sources told ESPN.com that the Nuggets have offered big men JaVale McGee and J.J. Hickson, as well as one of the two draft picks Denver recently acquired in a trade with the Cleveland Cavaliers for center Timofey Mozgov, in exchange for Lopez. But Brooklyn, sources say, has rebuffed those advances so far."
It's uncertain what kind of deal the Nets hope to get for Lopez, who's a difference-maker in the paint but has a history of injuries and can opt out of his contract after the season. The Oklahoma City Thunder reportedly were in talks to acquire Lopez, first with a three-team deal including the Charlotte Hornets and then the Minnesota Timberwolves, but the talks ultimately stalled.
Teams believed to be in pursuit of Lopez include Denver, Oklahoma City, the Miami Heat and the Houston Rockets.
Brooklyn is said to be interested in Timberwolves forward Thaddeus Young, although it's uncertain whether they're actively pursuing him.
The NBA trade deadline is on Feb. 19.
UPDATE:
Just an FYI: Denver and Brooklyn haven't spoken in a week on a Brook Lopez deal, league sources tell Yahoo.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) February 2, 2015
