Nets GM King says Lopez and Young are team's top offseason priorities

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Brooklyn Nets general manager Billy King said Wednesday his team's No. 1 priority heading into the offseason is retaining Brook Lopez and Thaddeus Young and then building around them.

Lopez ($16.7 million) and Young ($10 million) have player options for next season, but can become free agents if they elect to opt out. The Nets have Bird Rights on both players, which would enable them to pay Lopez and Young more than any other team.

"Internally, the next big step is to keep Brook and Thaddeus here," King said at his annual end-of-the-season news conference. "They both have shown indications they want to be here in their exit interviews, and we want them here, so it's incumbent on us to get that done."

King also seemed open to the possibility of trading Deron Williams and Joe Johnson. Williams is still owed $21 million next season and has a $22.3 million player option for 2016-17. Johnson is entering the final year of his deal and is set to make $24.9 million in 2015-16.

The Nets had explored trading Lopez, Williams and Johnson from December up until the Feb. 19 trade deadline.

"We could have done it at the deadline," King said of moving those big contracts. "A couple of them we could have moved at the deadline, and we chose not to."

King later added: "We're going to explore all options, as we have. Will there be a trade? There could be, but I'm not sure. But we're going to look at every option to get better."

King, who is entering the final year of his contract, would not comment on whether he has had talks with the organization about a contract extension. He said he would be comfortable going into next season without a new deal if that is the case.

The Nets won just 38 games this season, but managed to make the playoffs in the weak Eastern Conference. They were ousted by the Atlanta Hawks in the first round.

King said Brooklyn's goal is to not be a taxpaying team, but added that ownership would not be opposed to it if there is a move that can help the team going forward.

King said the Nets would like to retain Alan Anderson, who has said he will opt out of the final year of his contract and become a free agent. King will extend Mirza Teletovic the qualifying offer to make him a restricted free agent, but added that the market would dictate whether the floor-spacing big man sticks around.

Anderson may need minor surgery to clean out his ankles, King said.