The Brooklyn Nets are off to an 8-11 start despite an enormous payroll, and sources close to the team say that a fire sale may be coming soon if there are teams willing to absorb some rough contracts.
The core of the team, point guard Deron Williams, shooting guard Joe Johnson, and center Brook Lopez, are all available according to ESPN.com. The same sources said that the Nets are not aiming to tank though; they want to flip these expensive players for cost-effective talent.
All three players are established former All-Stars, but their contracts are prohibitive which is likely to limit interest. Johnson, averaging 15.7 points and five rebounds, is in the best physical condition of the three and remains one of the top shooting guards in the NBA. He's also the league's fourth-highest paid player, owed $23 million this season and $24 million next year.
Williams, who has been plagued by injuries since joining the Nets, is locked in through the 2016-2017 season-in the final year of his current deal he will be owed $22 million. Lopez has suffered through as many maladies as Williams, and will make upward of $31 million over the next two seasons.
The Nets may be caught between a rock and a hard place. By acquiring the likes of Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett two years ago in a push for a title they sacrificed quite a few draft picks making a rebuild through the draft extremely difficult. The prices of their veterans scare off other teams, but these veterans aren't playing well with one another either.
Johnson recently criticized some teammates as "selfish" and said they aren't playing team ball. "Guys kind of exhaust their options and then when there is nothing else for them, then they'll pass it when they have to."
Teams with a chance at a title may splurge at some point on these pricy veterans, but right now it doesn't seem like Brooklyn's phones are ringing off the hook.
"We're on the phones, we're talking to people, but there's nothing imminent," general manager Billy King said.
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