NBA Trade Rumors: Mehmet Okur Trade Won't Fill Void for New Jersey Nets

The New Jersey Nets knew they had to act fast when Brook Lopez went down to injury, so they made a trade with the Utah Jazz, bringing Mehmet Okur to Newark for a 2015 second-round pick.

Okur had limited action last season due to injury, and it was only off the bench. He's always been a serviceable big man, but not the kind that is a team changer by any stretch.

He certainly won't be enough to fill the 20-points-per-night void left by Brook Lopez.

The former Jazz center has pretty good range shooting the ball and can even occasionally step back to take a three-pointer every now and then.

When he's gotten the chance to start on a regular basis, Okur has been good for about 12 to 18 points per night, with an average of seven to nine rebounds as well.

But after the injury-plagued season I eluded to earlier, it's not clear how much the 32-year-old (33 in May) big man has left.

Clearly, this was just a Band-Aid for New Jersey, with the season set to start on Monday. It's doubtful Okur will erase the memory of Lopez in any way, but if he's healthy, he can at least be a competitive solution to the mess that Lopez's injury has caused.

It certainly doesn't erase the fact that the Nets chances might be hurt in their pursuit of Dwight Howard.

Because truly, that's the only thing that matters at this point.