The Brooklyn Nets and the Oklahoma City Thunder reportedly had a conversation about a trade involving Kendrick Perkins and Brook Lopez, a reliable league source told ESPN New York reporter Ohm Youngmisuk.
The Nets have made Lopez, Deron Williams and Joe Johnson available on the trading block ever prior to December 15, which is the date when most of the players signed last summer had become available for trades.
Youngmisuk indicated the Nets and Thunder had an exploratory discussion regarding a potential swap between Perkins and Lopez. The deal could have sent Lopez to the Thunder in exchange for Perkins' expiring contract, Perry Jones III and Lance Thomas before negotiations fell apart.
"Was told Nets + OKC recently talked involving Lopez, K. Perkins (expiring deal), P. Jones, L. Thomas but stood pat liking how they've played," according to Youngmisuk.
The Nets have been searching for an ideal trade partner willing to gamble on Lopez's injury-prone foot and a $15M commitment over the next two seasons. Aside from the Thunder, the Los Angeles Lakers, New York Knicks and even the Cleveland Cavaliers had shown interest in Lopez.
Miami Heat' Strong Desire To Add Big Man
In first season without LeBron James, the Miami Heat have found themselves in very tight situation as the four-time Eastern Conference champion is currently seventh in the East with a 17-21 record.
Injuries to their key players like power forward Josh McRoberts have prevented the Heat from blowing up to the standings, while their lack of big man forced Chris Bosh to continue playing at center instead of his natural position at power forward.
According to Youngmisuk, the Heat has expressed strong interest in the 26-year old Lopez, who is putting up 14.7 points and 6.4 rebounds over 28 games this season. It's unclear what kind of trade package the Heat would come up, though there are a lot of trade chatters surrounding small forward Luol Deng.
"Hearing Nets continue to talk to teams about Brook Lopez. Sources say Miami has shown a strong interest," Youngmisuk stated.
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