The Denver Nuggets may look at a trade for Brook Lopez this season at the deadline and the team may look at trading JaVale McGee, Wilson Chandler, JJ Hickson, Arron Afflalo or Ty Lawson as they try and rebuild around Kenneth Faried and this comes as the Brooklyn Nets are shopping Lopez, Deron Williams and Joe Johnson in trade deals.
The Nuggets are in a slight rebuild with Brian Shaw after the team won 50 games a couple years ago and ditched George Karl and now they could make some big moves for the future. Kenneth Faried has not had as good of a season as many expected after the way he dominated at USA Basketball, but he is the franchise player and the piece the team is building around. McGee has been dealing with injuries the past two seasons, while Afflalo, Lawson and Chandler are potential targets for teams at the deadline.
Frank Isola at the Daily News in New York reported that the Nuggets and Thunder have talked a deal for Reggie Jackson, but the two sides could not agree on compensation. According to ESPN.com, the Thunder are looking to trade Jackson since he is set to be a restricted free agent and they likely will not be able to sign him. The team also could look at the Cleveland Cavaliers, as they are looking for more offensive support behind Kyrie Irving.
The Nuggets appear interested the most in Lopez along with Jackson, as they see Lopez as a strong player up front that could pair with Faried to dominate the boards. The Nuggets rank fifth in rebounds per game this season, but the defense is 26th in the league and Lopez could help with that if he is acquired. According to ESPN.com, the Nets and Nuggets had been discussing a deal with Lopez, but Brooklyn turned it down and now the two sides may start over after the All Star break.
ESPN.com reports that the Nuggets offered both Hickson and McGee in the deal for Lopez along with a first round pick. The Nets may be holding out for a better package or they may want to see what other deals come up before pulling the trigger. The Nets and Thunder along with the Hornets nearly had a three team deal involving Lance Stephenson and Lopez, but that did not go through. Lopez is a talented player and he has been averaging 15.3 points, 6.2 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game this year and for part of the season he has been coming off of the bench.
The Nets likely will consider trading Lopez over the other two players, as he has a $15.7 million salary this season and $16.7 million player option for 2015-16 and they would like to clear cap space. The Nets have been up and down this season and they are looking to re-tool the roster heading into next season. The Thunder feel they have the chance to make a run after a slow start after playing without Kevin Durant and Westbrook for a while and they may trade Jackson to protect themselves from losing him for nothing this summer.
