Report: Nets to Offer Brook Lopez, Draft Picks for Dwight Howard


New Jersey will reportedly put together a monster offer for Dwight Howard before he becomes a free agent next summer. ESPN has the latest rumor: “The New Jersey Nets are prepared to offer a trade package featuring Brook Lopez and two future first-round picks to acquire Dwight Howard before the Orlando Magic center becomes a free agent in July 2012, according to sources close to the situation. Sources told ESPN.com this week that, to sweeten the proposal, New Jersey would likewise offer to take back the contract of Magic forward Hedo Turkoglu, who has three seasons left on his contract worth just under $35 million. Absorbing Turkoglu’s remaining salary would become financially feasible for the Nets after the expected release of swingman Travis Outlaw through the amnesty clause that will be included in the NBA’s new collective bargaining agreement and by including another smaller contract or two in the deal. Although teams won’t be cleared to start making official roster moves until Dec. 9 at the earliest following the 149-day lockout, sources say team executives have been discussing potential trades for some time in anticipation of a condensed and hurried free agency period before the season’s scheduled Dec. 25 start. No trade deadline for the 2011-12 season has been set in stone yet by the league office, but many team executives believe it will fall in March.”