The Brooklyn Nets are one of the teams in the NBA that have to make the right moves this offseason if they are going to make the playoffs next season. Their most important free-agent this summer is unrestricted free-agent center Nic Claxton, someone who could have some suitors bidding for his services.
While Claxton is likely to come back to Brooklyn with a new deal beginning at $20 million per season, there are other teams that will be looking for a center to make the middle. In a recent article by Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, the Oklahoma City Thunder are expected to be one of the teams that could be vying for Claxton’s talents.
“Rival executives are monitoring the Thunder as a potential team in the free-agent center market this summer, with several names available, such as Nic Claxton – who can potentially command over $20 million on the market,” Scotto wrote on Tuesday in his aggregate of the 2024 NBA Draft based on what HoopsHype has learned from conversations with NBA executives and scouts.
Claxton, 25, is coming off a 2023-24 season in which he averaged 11.8 points, 9.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 2.1 blocks per game while shooting 62.9% from the field and 55.1% from the free-throw line. While Claxton had a similar statistical season compared to his performance in 2022-23, he did not receive any votes for the Defensive Player of the Year award.
Despite this snub, Claxton is still expected to command somewhere between $20 million and $25 million per year with his next contract, per Scotto. Ultimately, the Nets will have to add the Thunder to the list of teams that will be trying to pluck Claxton away from Brooklyn this summer.
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