Stein: Nets rejected a Brook Lopez for Pau Gasol trade

Marc Stein reports Monday that the Lakers had some "exploratory" talks with the Nets about trading Pau Gasol for Brook Lopez, which the Nets rejected.  It's unclear if there were any other pieces in the proposed deal. L..A. has its own first round picks in the three drafts the Nets gave up first rounders in the Celtics trade: 2014, 2016 and 2018.

Now that Lopez is out for the season, the talks have no chance of being "re-ignited," writes Stein, but it doesn't seem like the Nets gave them a warm reception.  Gasol, is eight years older than Lopez and is averaging only 13.7 points and 8.6 rebounds per game this season, a career low in scoring and his worst rebounding numbers in five years.

Stein deals mainly at the implications for the Lakers' cap in his story,"because trading for a player with guaranteed money due beyond 2014-15 would almost certainly affect the Lakers' free-agent flexibility in the summer of 2015. Which runs counter to what we've all assumed about the Lakers for some time."

• Are Lakers interested in changing course? - Marc Stein - ESPN