The potential three-way trade between the Oklahoma City Thunder, Brooklyn Nets and Charlotte Hornets is "dead, at least for now," according to the Charlotte Observer's Rick Bonnell.
The trade reportedly would have looked something like this:
Thunder receive: Brook Lopez
Nets receive: Lance Stephenson, Kendrick Perkins
Hornets receive: Jeremy Lamb, Jarrett Jack, Grant Jerrett
About nine hours before the Charlotte Observer reported it was dead, it reported that "numerous non-Hornets NBA sources" thought the talks had gone too far for nothing to get done. Things can extremely change quickly in the NBA.
The discussions had gotten serious on Thursday afternoon, according to Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski, but they were unable to reach an agreement at night. Oklahoma City and Charlotte were satisfied, but Brooklyn held up the deal, per ESPN's Chris Broussard. The Nets' "biggest hurdle," according to Yahoo Sports, is "their willingness to take on" Stephenson. They are "trying to change some players in the deal," according to ESPN.
Brooklyn is trying to move Lopez as soon as possible, according to Yahoo Sports, and has told teams that it wants to get this done by the weekend. It's also reportedly trying to find a trade partner to take Perkins in exchange for "an established player." That might be difficult. The Denver Nuggets and Miami Heat have reportedly expressed interest in Lopez, too.
It's awkward for all involved that these details have been made public. This is life in the league in 2015, though. And although we're hearing that this trade is "dead" at the moment, it could be resuscitated at any time.
