Backup Plans for the Brooklyn Nets If the Dwight Howard Deal Falls Through

Back by popular demand...talk of Dwight Howard joining the Brooklyn Nets!

OK, so maybe not popular demand, per se. More like Superman's own single-minded desire to be the king of the Barclays Center, even though he'd have to share the spotlight with Deron Williams and Joe Johnson.

ESPN's Chris Broussard recently reported that the Nets and the Orlando Magic had discussed a deal that would send MarShon Brooks, Brook Lopez, Kris Humphries and three first-round picks to Florida in exchange for the six-time All-Star. However, any deal that ends with Superman in Metropolis will likely require a third team to facilitate Orlando's desire to offload at least one of a handful of bad contracts.

But suppose the Nets and the Magic can't get a deal done. Suppose Billy King and Rob Hennigan get sick of talking to one another or run out of minutes on their phone plans or something. Or, suppose Orlando just ain't buyin' what Brooklyn's sellin'.

What then?

Re-Sign Brook Lopez

The obvious move for the Nets would be to keep Brook Lopez on board. Billy King has already extended the 24-year-old center a qualifying offer, thereby making him a restricted free agent. Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports suggests that Lopez could command a contract worth upward of $50 million.

That number may seem exorbitant, especially for a seven-footer who's never averaged more than 8.6 rebounds and missed 61 games last season with foot problems.

But when considering the offers on the table for fellow RFAs Omer Asik (three years, $25.1 million with the Houston Rockets) and Roy Hibbert (four years, $58 million with the Portland Trail Blazers), Lopez's potential payday makes some sense. Lopez is hardly an imposing defensive presence, though he's more than capable of pouring in 20 points a night if need be.

And seeing as how Lopez would reportedly be a part of any deal for Howard, it makes sense that the Nets would have him re-signed, for one reason or another. David Aldridge of NBA.com suggested that Brooklyn will attempt to do just that now that D-Will is back on the payroll:

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With Williams done, the Nets' next priority is re-signing Brook Lopez, according to a league source. Team also hopes to keep Kris Humphries.

— David Aldridge (@daldridgetnt) July 3, 2012"

He won't be the Defensive Player of the Year anytime soon (if ever), but he's tall and can do much more than just walk and chew gum at the same time.

Re-Sign Kris Humphries

One big man does not a frontcourt make, though. With that in mind, Wojnarowski and Yahoo! Sports also report that the Nets have their sights set on Kris Humphries if Howard is indeed beyond their reach:

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If Brooklyn can't cut deal with Orlando for Dwight Howard, strong possibility it'll move to keep forward Kris Humphries, source tells Y!

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) July 3, 2012"

As with Brook Lopez, Brooklyn might just as easily ink Humphries to a new deal and ship him off to Orlando instead.

Not that keeping him around would be a bad move, for basketball reasons anyway. With all the flak Humphries catches for being Kim Kardashian's ex-boy toy, it's easy to forget that he's a surprisingly productive player. He's averaged a double-double in each of his last two seasons with the Nets while hovering around 50 percent shooting from the field.

Granted, Humphries isn't a center, per se, though at 6'9" and 235 pounds, he'd provide Brooklyn with a hefty helping of beef up front—even if the beefcake element isn't quite up to Kim K's standards.

Sign-and-Trade for Ersan Ilyasova

If Humphries goes elsewhere, the Nets could still bolster their frontcourt with a bit of Hollywood...sort of.

According to Peter Vecsey and Fred Kerber of the New York Post, the Nets have their eyes on Milwaukee Bucks free agent and James Franco stunt double Ersan Ilyasova in the event that Dwight Howard doesn't wind up in Brooklyn:

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Sources confirm Post's Peter Vecsey tweet that #Nets again talking about Ersan Ilyasova if Howard deal falls through.

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"— Fred Kerber (@FredKerber) July 3, 2012"

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Humphries might still be involved here, though likely as sign-and-trade bait. Ilyasova is of similar size (6'9", 235 pounds), but is two years younger and a bit more erratic as far as productivity is concerned.

But seeing as how Nets GM Billy King was willing to risk his current job and his future reputation in pursuit of D-Will, putting his eggs in Ilyasova's basket rather than Humphries' wouldn't be all that big of a limb for him to go out on.

After the way Ilyasova "exploded" for 13.0 points and 8.8 rebounds with the Bucks last season, and given his age (25), it's reasonable to expect that he'll continue to improve over the next two to three years.

Lure Andrei Kirilenko Back to the NBA

The Nets could stray from the beaten path to bolster their corps of big men by bringing Andrei Kirilenko to Brooklyn.

According to Tim Bontemps of the New York Post, Kirilenko has yet to decide whether he'll return to the NBA next season or remain with CSKA Moscow, the Russian powerhouse with whom he signed during the lockout.

The same Russian powerhouse, mind you, was once owned by Mikhail Prokhorov, the wily billionaire who currently controls the Nets. Not surprisingly, Kirilenko and Prokhorov share a friendship, though whether it's strong enough to bring AK-47 back across the Atlantic remains to be seen.

Even if Kirilenko does opt for The Association, it'll be up to the Utah Jazz to pass up his Bird rights before the Nets can swoop in. Kirilenko has long been lauded for his versatility on both ends of the floor, with per-game averages of 12.4 points, 5.6 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 2.0 blocks and 1.4 steals to show for his talents.

Kirilenko's hardly the biggest or strongest of forwards, but if Prokhorov can convince him to sign at a discount, he'll be worth every penny. 

Sign Marcus Camby

Without Dwight Howard (and with the likes of Joe Johnson and Deron Williams on the perimeter), the Nets will undoubtedly need someone to protect the paint.

As it happens, Marcus Camby is among the best to have ever done just that and is back on the free-agent market.

To be sure, Camby, at 38, is a far cry from the shot-swatting defender that he once was and appears to favor a return to the Houston Rockets, per Marc J. Spears and Yahoo! Sports:

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HOU C Marcus Camby's updated free agent list: HOU,DAL,SA,MIA,NY & BK. Camby still likes HOU, but not waiting on Asik's situation to conclude

— Marc J. Spears (@SpearsNBAYahoo) July 3, 2012"

Still, Brooklyn is on the Camby Man's radar, and last I checked, the dude's 6'11" frame and long arms haven't shrunk at all. If the Omer Asik deal proves to be a deterrent, Camby can probably find work in Brooklyn without having to look too hard. 

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