The Brooklyn Nets are reportedly considering going into a different direction as reports indicated that they have been very active on trade front over the past several weeks.
According to Marc Stein and Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN, the Nets have already informed teams about their willingness to trade stars Deron Williams, Brook Lopez and Joe Johnson before the deadline in February.
Sources said that no deal is imminent at this point, but the Nets are reportedly determined to retool their roster after having another disappointing start this season. The team's ownership group is allegedly looking to make changes after their expensive roster last season failed to go deep into the playoffs.
Reports also indicated that the Nets had exploratory talks with several teams about a possible deal before the deadline. The Nets are looking to move Williams, Lopez and Johnson in separate deals because no team is expected
to absorb the salaries of the three players.
Williams, who is averaging 17.1 points to go along with 6.4 assists and 3.4 rebounds per game this season, still has two years left on his five-year contract with the Nets. The All-Star point guard is set to receive $21 million next season and $22.3 million in the 2016-17 NBA season.
Lopez will be playing in the final year of his contract next season. The 26-year-old center could actually opt out of the $16.7 million deal, but he is not expected to do so, considering the fact that he has been bothered by foot injuries over the past several years.
On the other hand, Johnson, with his $23.2 million salary this year, is the league's third-highest paid player this season. He is also set to receive $24.9 million next season, which is quite high for a player averaging just 15.7 points to go along with 5.0 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game this year.
While the Nets are determined to find new teams for their All-Star trio, they are not just looking for salary-dumping deals. Sources said that the Nets also want talents in return - sufficient enough for them to remain as a playoff team this season.
On Wednesday night, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports also reported that the Nets parted ways with seldom-used veteran Andrei Kirilenko.
Kirilenko was sent to the Philadelphia 76ers along with a 2020 second-round pick and the right two swap second-round picks in 2018 in exchange for Brandon Davies.
