Report: Nets have made Brook Lopez 'very available'

With the Brooklyn Nets in a relatively inflexible financial situation and having found success without him, the team is open to trading center Brook Lopez, according to a report from Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio.

Amico indicates that he's heard that Lopez is "very available," though the market for his services coming off of an ankle tear, which followed a broken right foot, the latest in a line of injuries, is unclear.

The report can be taken with a grain of salt, of course, as many of these can. It should be obvious that, with the right deal, the Nets would be open to moving Lopez, who has a $15.7 million salary for 2014-15 and a $16.7 million player option the year following. While he's an excellent player and still just 26, health concerns and a win-now focus could mean the team would prefer not to roll the dice that he returns as his old self.

Before he went down with the injury, Lopez was playing maybe the best basketball of his career. He was averaging 20.7 points on 56.3 percent shooting, both career highs, adding six rebounds and 1.8 blocks, with a career-best 25.4 player efficiency rating.

The team, however, was just 7-10 in those games and found their footing as a small-ball style team, cruising to a 37-28 mark and the second round of the playoffs without him.

Again, Lopez is a very good player, one who is a matchup nightmare given his considerable size and interior scoring ability. But he's expensive, and moving him would be the Nets' best chance at adding to their core from the playoffs, since they can't spend freely on the open market.