The Brooklyn Nets are exploring blockbuster trade deals involving stars Deron Williams, Brook Lopez and Joe Johnson, as the team is looking to retool going forward after getting off to a slow start this season and teams like the Atlanta Hawks, Miami Heat, Phoenix Suns and Sacramento Kings could be interested.
The Nets made a huge splash a couple years ago by adding Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce to their roster and they hoped to make a championship run, but so far that has not happened. The team has opened the season two games under .500 and now the front office is looking to make moves to free up payroll and "retool", according to ESPN.com and media reports. The team had already been mentioned in trade rumors with Andrei Kirilenko and now they could make other moves.
The report from ESPN details that the Nets have reached out to other teams that they are willing to deal the trio, but so far there are not any trades that are close to happening. Lopez is a coveted player and while Johnson and Williams are signed to large deals, they could be strong acquisitions to rebuilding or playoff teams. Sources reported to ESPN that no trades are "imminent" but with the deadline coming up early next year, the Nets could be big players in trades.
The Nets knew they had a small window to contend when they signed Garnett and Pierce and now they will look at shedding some payroll and reshaping the roster a bit. Last season the team went 10-21 before bouncing back to make the playoffs, but after Jason Kidd left the franchise was pushed in a new direction and they hired Lionel Hollins to take over. The team has been off to an 8-11 start and while that is not that bad for the eastern conference, the franchise was expecting to be better.
The contracts and age of the players will make trading them difficult, but there are some situations that the Nets could try and take advantage of. The team has a solid core of young talent with Mason Plumlee, Mirza Teletovic and Bojan Bogdanovic and they likely will be looking to add draft picks or young players in the deals. The report from ESPN says that the Nets will still try and stay in a "win-now" mentality and that could mean the team will try and trade for pro ready players or at least one "star" to center things around. The Nets have a near $100 million payroll after paying a ton in luxury tax and they are hoping to shed some of that.
Lopez has some injury issues along with Williams, although Lopez is likely the most intriguing option for teams based on his talent. Lopez and Williams each underwent surgery in the offseason, while Lopez has played in just 96 games over the last three seasons. Lopez is averaging 16 points and six rebounds in sixteen games this season, while Williams is averaging 17 points and six assists in 19 games.