The Brooklyn Nets had a win-now approach to the 2013 season and injuries were certainly not part of that plan. However, not even a quarter of the way through the year and already that has been the headline for the team. Deron Williams missed time with an ankle issue. Paul Pierce was out with a broken hand. Now, Brook Lopez had been ruled out for the remainder of the season after suffering a broken foot. Will the team trade the young center to take a swing at winning it all this year?
The Nets confirmed that Lopez is officially done for the year. It is unclear when exactly the injury occurred. Lopez left the loss against the 76ers early and did not speak to reporters after. He has been suffering from injuries to that foot. He missed nine games with an ankle injury and missed almost all of 2012 after undergoing surgery on that same foot.
The loss of Lopez is huge. Developing into one of the best centers in the league, he is averaging 20.7 points and 6.0 rebounds per game. The Nets are at a big loss without him. The likely candidates to replace him are Andray Blatche, Reggie Evans and Andrei Kirilenko who has missed 22 games due to back spasms. So, does Brooklyn attempted for a trade?
According to Nets general manager Billy King, a trade is not in the cards when it comes to Lopez. He admitted he was upset over the injury and the loss of Lopez, but the team would not make any kind of panic trade in the next few weeks.
"If there's a deal out there that we feel is going to make us a better team, we'll do it regardless of tax or the future, but we're not going to panic and do a move just to make a move because we feel we have to," King said, via the NY Daily News. "I still believe in this group. Brook's a big part of it, but we do have other guys, that's why we have depth."
So while Brooklyn will not make a move now, they could later. Who is available. The obvious first choice is disgruntled Houston center Omer Asik. The Rockets failed to trade him last week, but will still look for deals prior to the February deadline. The Nets do not have the assets to offer Houston a deal that would be worthy of the center. The team does not have a first-round draft pick until 2019. That was a big part of the center's price tag.
Pau Gasol could be an option. The Los Angeles Lakers have also said they have no intention of getting rid of their resident big man despite not being able to retain him after the season. With Kobe Bryant out, Gasol is the man. Again, Brooklyn does not have much to offer in return which could be an issue. Gasol's contract certainly will not make Brooklyn blink twice, since clearly money is not object.
"When you get an injury like this, everybody calls you. Every agent with a big guy on the sideline calls and offers their services," King said. "We have been in discussions with a lot of teams. There are no imminent moves. We're not looking to make an imminent move, trade-wise. We've got 14 other guys who can step up. But we will continue to discuss possibilities to make our team better."
