Report: Nets standing pat on potential Lopez deal

by Chris Toman
Anthony Gruppuso / USA Today Sports

Brook Lopez will reportedly be staying put - for now.

Swirling rumors had him halfway out the Brooklyn Nets' door, but the Lopez speculation took another turn early Friday afternoon after a reported three-way deal involving the Oklahoma City Thunder and Charlotte Hornets fell through.

The Nets were reportedly working on a separate deal with the Thunder but are holding off for now, according to Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski.

"There was nothing we liked," a Nets source told Wojnarowski.

The framework of the proposed Thunder-Nets deal was situated around a package that would have netted Brooklyn center Kendrick Perkins, who's on a $9.1-million expiring contract, and guard Jeremy Lamb. But the Nets backed out after being unable to acquire adequate talent for the oft-injured Lopez, according to Wojnarowski.

Brooklyn didn't want to strictly move him in a salary dump, which is essentially what the trade would've been.

The original three-team trade that was reported looked as follows:

TEAM SENDS RECEIVES
Thunder Jeremy Lamb, Kendrick Perkins Brook Lopez
Nets Jarrett Jack, Brook Lopez Lance Stephenson, Kendrick Perkins
Hornets Lance Stephenson Jeremy Lamb, Jarrett Jack

Lopez, who earns $15.7 million this season and has a player option for $16.7 million in 2015-16, recently lost his starting job in Brooklyn to second-year big Mason Plumlee

Wojnarowski added that the Houston Rockets are also interested in Lopez, while the Miami Heat remain in discussions with the Nets.

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