Report: Nets 'back away' from talks with Thunder about Lopez trade

The Brooklyn Nets on Friday backed away from discussions with the Oklahoma City Thunder on a potential deal for center Brook Lopez, according to a report from Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports. Brooklyn still wants to move Lopez, and discussions could resume if the offer is changed, the report says.

The Brooklyn Nets on Friday backed away from discussions with the Oklahoma City Thunder on a potential trade deal for center Brook Lopez, according to a report from Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports.

Brooklyn still wants to move Lopez, and discussions could resume if the offer is changed, the report says.

"Standing pat at this time," one Nets source told Yahoo Sports. "There was nothing we liked."

The Nets backed away from the idea of simply moving Lopez on a salary dump, without the ability to bring back value on his talent, league sources said.

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The report comes after an earlier report that the Nets had "intensified" talks to deal Lopez. 

The team was said to be discussing a trade that would send Charlotte Hornets guard Lance Stephenson to Brooklyn. But Wojnarowski reported that the Nets were hesitant about bringing Stephenson back to Brooklyn, his hometown, and switched their focus to reaching a deal with the Thunder.

Before backing away on Friday, according to the report, the Nets had been seeking a third team to take on Thunder center Kendrick Perkins' expiring contract. The report also said that the Houston Rockets were "probing" the Nets regarding Lopez and that the Miami Heat have "remained connected" to talks surrounding the center.

The Nets are "motivated" to dump two of the three max contracts -- Lopez, small forward Joe Johnson and point guard Deron Williams -- on their roster before the Feb. 19 trade deadline, the report says. Last month Brooklyn was reportedly discussing deals involving Williams.

The Nets (16-23) currently sit in eighth place in the Eastern Conference. They will face the Wizards in Washington on Friday.

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