As the season gets closer to its midway point, teams are starting to get a feel for how high their ceiling will be this year. The Oklahoma City Thunder have been put in a bit of an awkward position right now, seeing as they were without their two star players for most of the season in Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. They know they are a great team, but they also know they need to make a big move right now to get them to a championship, which they have been desperately close to for the past five years.
While the Brooklyn Nets are headed into the opposite direction, they have an old team that just is plain and simple lackluster. They need to trade Brook Lopez fast because they aren't going to win anything with this team, and he is a costless agent next year. Then there is Charlotte who needs to get rid of the reeling Lance Stephenson who has been a cancer to the locker room and not lived up to his potential.
The Potential Trade
Brook Lopez to OKC
Lance Stephenson to the Brooklyn Nets
Jarrett Jack and Jeremy Lamb to the Charlotte Hornets
Effect of the trade
Thunder
For OKC, they would finally have that last piece to the puzzle that a lot of people thought they lost when they let James Harden slip away from them. Brook Lopez would add something they haven't had in a while, and that's scoring from the center position, as Lopez is one of the best scoring centers in the league, and he could give Westbrook and Durant some much needed help with the scoring load (career 17.8 ppg). He could also help protect the rim along with Serge Ibaka, as he would be bringing his shot blocking (career 1.7 bpg) to the table too. He is all around a great player who, with a team like OKC, could help win them a championship.
Nets
As for the Nets, they allow a very talented player in Lance Stephenson to get a fresh start. He hasn't been playing like the star that he could be but with a fresh start, he could possibly be that ball handler he once was in Indiana. His defensive skills are already spectacular, and his rebounding is also great. They also get to trade Brook Lopez, who is going to be a costless agent next year and, with the way this team is playing, may not want to stay anymore.
Hornets
The Hornets get to finally part ways with the struggling Lance Stephenson, who has been more of a headache to the team than a star player. When he is on the court, he isn't listening to his teammates. When he is in the locker room, he starts altercations. In general, the guy has been sort of a nightmare signing for them and getting him out would be great. Even better, they would be getting back Jarrett Jack who was just a sixth man candidate two years ago and is still a great scorer if given playing time, and Jeremy Lamb who is loaded with potential and ready to get his chance to actually prove himself.