Report 2: Nets open to trade talks for Brook Lopez

from ESPN

It's been an eventful week for Nets center Brook Lopez.

The 7-footer made an undeniable splash Wednesday with 34 points -- highlighted by four 3-pointers -- in surprising Brooklyn's 109-101 victory Wednesday night over Detroit. The flurry of triples made headlines because Lopez came into the game having sank just four previous 3s in 490 regular-season games.

But what's happening behind the scenes is newsy, too. Some rival executives are increasingly convinced that the Nets are open to moving Lopez between now and the February deadline in the proverbial right deal.

Rumblings of Boston interest have been forcefully shot down by sources familiar with the Celtics' thinking, but the situation bears monitoring -- and not simply because the Celts could ultimately decide that a big in-season move is wisest in the event they can't create as much cap space next summer as they once hoped.

Sources familiar with the Nets' thinking stressed to ESPN.com in recent days that, as it stands, Brooklyn is merely fielding calls and doing its due diligence. Listening to other teams, in other words, as opposed to outright shopping the former All-Star center.

The reality, though, is that Lopez, at 28, is the Nets' most desirable asset, thanks in part to the fact he has another full season (at $22.6 million) left on his contract after this one.

Yet it should be noted that the Nets, even after Lopez appeared in 73 games last season, have already held him out of one back-to-back in a nod to the big man's history of foot troubles and are openly weighing whether to hold him out of more.