Report: Nets have made Williams, Lopez, Johnson available in trade
The Brooklyn Nets are reportedly eager to shake up their roster.
Brooklyn, off to an 8-11 start in the weak Eastern Conference, has begun reaching out to other teams to let them know a trio of All-Star-caliber players in Deron Williams, Brook Lopez and Joe Johnson are available via trade, according ESPN's Marc Stein and Ohm Youngmisuk.
The report states that no trades involving any of them is imminent. It also says that the Nets still intend to contend even if they move any or all of the three. The apparent ideal trade scenario for Brooklyn is to acquire enough talent in return to remain a playoff team. The Nets enter Tuesday with the No. 8 seed in the East.
Brooklyn's disappointing year marks the second consecutive season the team has gotten off to a rocky start.
The Nets began last season with a 10-21 record before rallying for a playoff spot and taking out the Toronto Raptors in seven games in the first round. Brooklyn was then ousted by the Miami Heat in five games in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
Williams, Lopez and Johnson were supposed to be franchise cornerstones and help lead Brooklyn to contention, but it appears the Nets are ready to bust up a roster that has underachieved despite not being short on talent.
Both Lopez and Williams - two players the Nets signed to max contracts - have been limited by injuries in recent seasons. Williams looked like a shell of his former self last year - which was readily apparent during the Nets' playoff run - while Lopez watched his team get eliminated from the sidelines due to a broken foot that held him to 17 games.
The 30-year-old Williams underwent offseason surgery on both ankles to address the injuries he was playing through and it's helped. He has played in all 19 of the Nets' games, and is averaging 17.1 points and 6.5 assists, while shooting 40.2 percent from long range - all improvements from a season ago.
Williams is owed $21 million next season and $22.3 million in 2016-17, but has an opt-out clause which can allow him to enter free agency in the 2016 summer.
Lopez, who is currently out with a back strain, has one year remaining on his contract - a $16.7-million player option for the 2015-16 season. He's averaging 16.1 points, 6.2 rebounds and 1.7 blocks but has been limited to just 112 games over the last four seasons.
Johnson, who is set to miss his second consecutive game Wednesday with the flu, is making $23.2 million this season and is owed $24.9 million in 2015-16. A veteran wing, Johnson is averaging 15.7 points, 5.0 rebounds and 3.8 assists, while connecting on 43.9 percent of his shots from beyond the arc.
The Johnson-Williams-Lopez combo is making a combined $58.7 million this season, representing the highest paid trio in the NBA.