The Brooklyn Nets aren’t wasting any time throwing some of that green stuff around. Shortly after free agency opened early Wednesday morning, it became apparent that the Nets and center Brook Lopez were looking to get a deal done in relatively short order.
Now comes this report from Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports indicating that the two sides are finalizing the terms of a three-year, $60 million contract.
” Lopez, 27, will receive a three-year, $60 million maximum contract that includes some protections for the Nets should a recurrence of Lopez’s foot issues sideline him again, sources said. The deal is expected to include a player option after the second season, which would allow him to re-enter free agency once new television money raises the salary cap.”
The $20 million Lopez is set to receive in this new deal bests the $15.2 million he averaged in the four-year deal he signed with Brooklyn back in 2012. As Wojnarowski reported, it’s also expected to include a player option for the third season, which would enable the center to cash in when max deals increase. That’s obviously dependent on Lopez actually staying healthy and performing at a high clip on the court.
The former 10th overall pick in the 2008 draft averaged 17.2 points and 7.4 rebounds while shooting 51 percent from the field this past season. It also represented just the second time since the 2010-11 campaign that Lopez played 70-plus games in a single season.
Photo: USA Today Sports