Thunder closing in on Brook Lopez: What we know

An hour to go before the trade deadline expires and here’s what we know:

The Thunder and Nets are close to completing a deal sending Reggie Jackson, Kendrick Perkins and Perry Jones to Brooklyn for Brook Lopez. The Thunder are the ones holding it all up right now, as they weigh the deal. Possibility as to why: Lopez has a $16.7 million player option for next season and may not be committed to exercising it. And the Thunder are deciding if they’re better off with a three-month rental of Lopez, or a three-month rental of Jackson and Perk (and Jones).

If the deal does indeed happen, it’s likely the Thunder have another deal already lined up to secure backup point guard help. One possible solution is Norris Cole, as was reported by Adrian Wojnarowski. A straight up deal of Cole for Jeremy Lamb works.

The Thunder are keen on making a move involving Jackson, with reports yesterday surfacing his agent had requested a trade. Russell Westbrook was vocal about it today at shootaround, but the Thunder locker room has not been very happy with Jackson’s public comments about his role. They had hoped that Jackson would buy in more throughout the season, but that hasn’t happened, especially since the acquisition of Dion Waiters which has resulted in Jackson’s playing time being cut. Hanging on to Jackson is risky, because it could be a toxic situation that’s not easily repaired.

But the Thunder do have a strong belief in their leaders, and feel they could potentially repair the relationship with Jackson for the rest of this season. Still: It’s a tricky situation the team finds itself in right now. They’d prefer to deal, but possible roadblocks are making it difficult to do so.