OKC Thunder: Top 5 Potential Trades Before the Deadline

1. Brook Lopez

Nets trade: Brook Lopez
Thunder trade: Kendrick Perkins, Reggie Jackson, and Perry Jones

This has been the biggest and most rumored trade this NBA season. But will it happen?

This trade seems to make sense for both teams. The Brooklyn Nets get to cut a huge chunk of their salary by getting rid of Brook Lopez and the Thunder get a very skilled low post scoring big man who can also defend. The Nets are in a position of mediocrity and staying in the middle of the pack. If this trade went through, they would look to quickly flip Perkins and his $9 million contract onto another team. Further increasing OKC’s demand for Lopez is Adams’ recent injury – losing him for at least three weeks could hurt their chances of making the playoffs.

It seems likely that the Thunder will probably lose Jackson at the end of the season so it is better to trade him now and get something in return. Lopez has his weaknesses (as a sub-par defender with a poor rebounding rate for a center) but his offense, veteran presence and short-term deal could be a short-term boost that doesn’t carry a long-term financial impact.