Brooklyn Nets Put Brook Lopez, Joe Johnson And Deron Williams On Trading Block – Report

The struggling Brooklyn Nets (8-11) are exploring options in their roster and have surprisingly made available some key cogs. Players in the starting line-up such as Brook Lopez, Joe Johnson and Deron Williams have been made available and placed on the trading block as General Manager Billy King has reportedly made some calls with his fellow GMs.

The move is a sign that the team is acknowledging its failure to put a championship level calibre after fielding in a $190 million roster last season, which netted a disappointing second round exit against the eventual Eastern Conference champions Miami Heat which dominated the veteran-laden roster, 4-1. While the report has named the three all-star type of players, no immediate trade looms in the next week.

"Yet sources insist that the Nets haven't abandoned their recent "win-now mentality" and aren't merely looking to dump salary. Brooklyn's hope, sources said, is to construct a deal or two that bring back sufficient talent that enables the Nets to remain a playoff team," Marc Stein of ESPN reveals in his latest article.

The development is in line in a series of exploratory moves of the organization, which has already seen the controversial parting with now Milwaukee Bucks coach Jason Williams. The team has also placed Russian forward Andrei Kirilenko on indefinite leave and is just biding its time before trading the versatile former Euroleague Most Valuable Player (MVP). The team has re-tooled by adding foreign player Bojan Bogdanovic and trading for veteran back-up point guard Jarrett Jack but the transfer of former all-star Paul Pierce to the Washington Wizards has limited the option of the Nets in the offensive end.

During a Dec. 1 press conference, general manager Billy King admitted his reluctance in winning a championship with the core of Lopez, Johnson and Williams by saying that it is a wait and see approach. King also added that the team is making calls and exploring player options but no movement is in the horizon.

Williams is currently on the third year of his $98 million 5-year deal while Lopez is just on the second season of his hefty 4-year $60 million deal inked in 2012. Johnson, the former Atlanta Hawks star, is still in the books through 2016 and is one of the league's highest paid players at $23.2 million for this season alone.