The final stage of the Brooklyn Nets’ complete teardown under new general manager Sean Marks may be upon us.
According to a report by Marc Stein of ESPN on Friday, the Nets are listening to offers for center Brook Lopez with some rival executives convinced that the team is open to moving the former All-Star big man between now and the February trade deadline.
Lopez, 28, is averaging 19.8 points and 5.8 rebounds per game through the first four games of the season, not too far off from his career averages. He’s due to make roughly $21.2 million this year and $22.6 million in 2017-18.
The former No. 10 overall pick is easily the longest-tenured player on the Nets roster and is arguably their only asset of any meaningful value left. Lopez is a borderline-elite scoring center, but his troublesome history of foot injuries are a very real concern.
That may help explain why Lopez has stuck around in Brooklyn for as long as he has, but the trade rumors should heat up over the next couple of months as the deadline draws nearer.
