Nets Rumored to Have Locked in Asking Price For Brook Lopez

It’s NBA trade season, and rumors have finally hit the Brooklyn Nets. An article by ESPN suggests that the Nets are considering offers for Brook Lopez.

Trade rumors surrounding Brooklyn Nets big man Brook Lopez have been around for years, but they’re back again.

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ESPN’s Marc Stein reported that the Nets are asking for two first-round picks for their starting center.

"Word is that two first-round picks is the Nets’ current asking price for center Brook Lopez."

Just two months ago, Stein reported that the Nets were listening to offers for Lopez. Obviously, nothing has materialized as of now, but that doesn’t mean we won’t hear anything for the rest of the season, especially at this time of year.

Brooklyn does not control their first-round picks until 2019, so it makes sense why they’re considering this asset as part of a potential Lopez trade. Additionally, the 2017 NBA Draft class is heavily stacked, so the Nets may want to cash in on selecting a young player with the possibility of developing into a star in the upcoming draft. Lopez is their way of getting there, considering the Nets’ few trade assets.

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Despite his deficiencies in rebounding, Lopez is still a high-producing center, and he leads the Nets in points (19.9) and blocks per game (1.7). These numbers could benefit any team in need of a big man who can score.

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Numerous teams — the Toronto Raptors, Denver Nuggets, Portland Trail Blazers, Utah Jazz, and Philadelphia 76ers — can offer two first-round draft picks in the upcoming draft. However, it’s unlikely that teams will want to give up two 2017 first-round picks, considering the heap of talent in the draft. The options only diversify if Brooklyn is looking for two first-round picks in two different drafts, which is the more likely scenario.

Ever since the Nets’ enormous roster turnover this offseason, many analysts and fans have pointed out that Lopez doesn’t fit into the Nets’ rebuild. Brooklyn has hit rewind and is rebuilding from the grounds up, evidently after the Thaddeus Young trade, making Lopez the odd man out on their roster.

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Of course, one sentence in an article doesn’t tell us much about which teams would be interested in Lopez, but this is only the beginning of more Lopez trade rumors this season. We’ll just have to keep our eyes out for how this pans out in the coming months.

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