NBA Free Agent Rumors: Brook Lopez Discussing Extension with Brooklyn Nets

The Brooklyn Nets have agreed to some huge moves already during the moratorium period and will continue to be busy throughout the NBA offseason. 

After trading for Joe Johnson and re-signing both Deron Williams and Gerald Wallace, the next step for Billy King and the men in charge of the Nets is to make sure Brook Lopez doesn't flee to a different team. 

Yahoo! Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski reports that this is exactly what Brooklyn is trying to do right now: 

"

Brooklyn's started talks with RFA Brook Lopez on extension, sources tell Y! Could be to stay with Nets or used in sign-and-trade with Magic.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) July 8, 2012"

As Fred Kerber of the New York Post makes clear, Lopez truly wants to be back with the team. The Nets feel the same way, especially if they can swing a deal that would send him to the Orlando Magic after his being back with the team for just a few minutes. 

Lopez missed the vast majority of the lockout-shortened season with a broken right foot and a sprained ankle, which didn't allow him to continue the development he'd been showing during his third and fourth seasons after leaving Stanford in the dust. 

However, he remains an elite offensive option, even if he seems to be absolutely averse to rebounding. 

With a threat like Lopez in the middle of the paint, the Brooklyn offense would be even more deadly now that the offensive talent on the perimeter has been significantly upgraded with the addition of Joe Johnson. 

Essentially, re-signing Lopez can't be a bad thing unless they make him shoulder an exorbitant contract—something that the financially strapped organization can't really do anymore. 

Either he scores a ton of points as he continues to develop, or he becomes the key piece in a trade that would bring Dwight Howard to the Magic. The Nets would likely prefer the latter, but the former is by no means a bad backup plan. 

The news that Lopez and the Nets have begun to discuss a contract shouldn't be a surprise, especially given all the other smart moves the organization has made during the offseason.