The Thunder could still make a trade for Brook Lopez happen, but it isn't going down the way it looked like it would on Thursday night.
Here's the short version of what happened: the framework of a trade was proposed that would have sent Lopez to OKC, Lance Stephenson to Brooklyn, and Jarrett Jack and Jeremy Lamb to Charlotte. OKC and Charlotte were happy with that framework but they knew the trade couldn't have been completed like that - the salary numbers don't work.
Before they could find a way to push things through - which likely would have involved throwing in Kendrick Perkins - two things happened:
First, ESPN's resident Magic 8-Ball, Chris Broussard, reported that the incomplete trade had, in fact, been completed. Then, at some point after that, the Nets got cold feet and backed out.
After news got out, all hell broke loose, and the frantic calls coming in from elsewhere (probably teams with more to offer from Lopez) may have been what convinced the Nets to pull out. Either way, that trade is dead, and while Lopez might still be headed for Oklahoma City, it wouldn't involve Lance Stephenson or Charlotte.
According to NetsDaily, things had progressed to the point where Lopez actually thought he had been traded. While it could still happen, it looks like Chris Broussard has some explaining to do.
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