The Brooklyn Nets made some big moves this offseason when they hired former Sacramento Kings assistant Jordi Fernandez and re-signed center Nic Claxton to a four-year, $97 million deal in free-agency. While Fernandez was joining the team for the first time, he had no doubts that Claxton was someone he wanted on the team no matter what.
“He was our priority this summer. He’s a big part of what we’re trying to do age-wise and how he’s progressed all his years,” Fernandez said in an interview with HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto when asked about Claxton. There was plenty of chatter over whether the Nets would be bringing Claxton back to Brooklyn due to his next contract projected to be around $25 million per year.
“Me and the organization believe he’s still getting much better and can be a Defensive Player of the Year,” Fernandez explained. “He’s a good playmaker and can be an even better playmaker. We’re excited about his development and that he’s a part of the organization for a long time.”
When Fernandez was introduced to the media earlier this summer, one of the more interesting things he said during his press conference was his belief in Claxton having the ability to be a Defensive Player of the Year kind of player. With the way that Fernandez has been talking about Claxton, it seems that the two are destined for a fruitful partnership.
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