Tag: nic claxton

2024-25 Brooklyn Nets: A quick preview

The Brooklyn Nets have finally decided to fully embrace a rebuild, starting by trading away Mikal Bridges and reclaiming control over their next two drafts. This strategic shift gives the franchise the flexibility to chart a new course. The big …

The Brooklyn Nets have finally decided to fully embrace a rebuild, starting by trading away Mikal Bridges and reclaiming control over their next two drafts. This strategic shift gives the franchise the flexibility to chart a new course. The big question now is whether Brooklyn will also look to move other key players like Cam Johnson, Dorian Finney-Smith, and Dennis Schroeder, who all have potential trade value. Even Nic Claxton, fresh off his offseason re-signing, could become a trade asset when he’s eligible to be moved this season (which is January 15, 2025).

While expectations are low for the Nets, the departure of Bridges opens the door for a new star to take center stage. Cam Thomas, who averaged 22.5 points per game last season, will now have an even larger role, solidifying his rising trajectory. The 22-year-old guard is emerging as a key building block for the team’s future or a valuable trade asset. Meanwhile, Schroeder, coming off a stellar performance in the 2024 Paris Olympics, will run the offense at point guard. Nic Claxton’s new long-term deal provides some stability in the paint for Brooklyn.

Despite this foundation, the Nets seem poised to tank in hopes of landing a top prospect, potentially someone like Cooper Flagg, as they fully commit to a long-term rebuild.

Nets’ Nic Claxton does not receive a vote for NBA DPOY by ESPN

Brooklyn Nets center Nic Claxton did not receive a vote to win the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year award for next season by ESPN.

Brooklyn Nets center Nic Claxton will be coming into the 2024-25 season with a new contract and with a different coaching staff that wants to get the best out of him. While Claxton has stated plenty of times over the past few years that his defensive prowess is underrated by the rest of the NBA, it seems that his voice remains unheard.

ESPN recently put out an article where their NBA experts made their picks for which players should win certain end-of-season awards such as the Defensive Player of the Year award. When it was time for the experts to put their votes together for the award, Claxton did not receive a single vote for the accolade.

This shouldn’t be surprising for the simple fact that the Nets are not expected to be very good next season now that the franchise is going through the rebuilding process after trading Mikal Bridges to the New York Knicks. With Brooklyn projected to win around 20 games next season, it’s clear that the NBA public as a whole is out on the Nets being competitive and for good reason.

Ever since the 2022-23 season when Claxton’s name was first generating buzz for his play on the defensive end in support of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, Claxton hasn’t been able to get the benefit of the doubt from the voting public. That isn’t sure to change unless Brooklyn is better than expected, but Claxton will still look to be the best version of himself either way.

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Nets’ Jordi Fernandez talks Nic Claxton being a priority this summer

Brooklyn Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez says that center Nic Claxton was a priority this summer and explains their growing partnership.

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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76ers’ Paul George names Nets’ Nic Claxton as dynamic NBA big man

Brooklyn Nets center Nic Claxton is considered a dynamic NBA big man by Philadelphia 76ers star Paul George that could unlock Trae Young.

The Brooklyn Nets are moving forward with their plan to rebuild around some of their younger players as they try to find their next group impact players in the NBA Draft. One of the players that Brooklyn has invest almost nine figures in this summer is being recognized for his ability to contribute on the floor.

Philadelphia 76ers forward Paul George recently had Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young on “Podcast P with Paul George” and one of the topics discussed was how the Hawks could build around Young heading into the future. In the clip posted below, George mentions that what unlocks Young’s game is having a dynamic big man and the first name that comes out of his mouth is Nets center Nic Claxton.

“I think what unlocks your game so much is having a dynamic big… say you had like a Nic Claxton,” George said. While dynamic could have different meanings in terms of describing a basketball player, it seems that in this context, George means dynamic in terms of athleticism when he refers to Claxton.

“Dynamic roller, locks up, controls the paint, great screen-setter, you can just play shooters around you at that point,” George continued. To be clear, this conversation isn’t good George or Young suggesting that a trade happens so that Claxton and Young can play together, but it is notable that George’s first player that would be a good fit with Young is Claxton.

Heading into the upcoming 2024-25 season, Claxton will be coming in with some heightened expectations now that he is getting paid like the dynamic big man that George and others have dubbed him to be at this point of his career. Earlier this summer, the Nets re-signed Claxton to a four-year, $97 million contract, ranking him as the 12th highest-paid center in the NBA as of this writing.

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Nets reveal new logos, merchandise ahead of the 2024-25 season

The Brooklyn Nets have recently posted what their new logos and merchandise will look like as they head into the 2024-25 season.

The Brooklyn Nets are in the middle of a rebuild after trading Mikal Bridges to the New York Knicks for as many as five first-round picks and three players. Heading into the 2024-25 season, Brooklyn will look different on the court, but after some recent news, they will look different off the court as well.

The Nets recently posted a video on X of them having some new logos and merchandise that coincides with their new branding and how they want to resemble Brooklyn as much as possible. Not only will Brooklyn have different logos than what fans have been used to for the past few years, but they have been promoting the new clothing as well.

The Nets explain everything that is changing in a post on their website and fans can see where the franchise has come from and where it is going in its most recent rebrand. For those fans looking for the team to be different after the failure of the Big 3 era, they can look towards the future knowing that a lot of aspects are changing.

In one of Brooklyn’s posts on X, Cam Thomas and Nic Claxton, two key pillars of the current rebuild, are shown wearing bucket hats with one of the new logos on them. Not only does that show everyone how the merchandise can look in real life, but they also know two of the players that are expected to be around for awhile.

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Nets officially announce Nic Claxton signing; GM Sean Marks issues statement

The Brooklyn Nets officially announced on Saturday the signing of center Nic Claxton.

The Brooklyn Nets have officially committed to a full rebuild of their franchise after trading Mikal Bridges to the New York Knicks for three players including Bojan Bogdanovic and a haul of first-round picks. Brooklyn’s second order of business was keeping center Nic Claxton with the organization for the long-term and they finally can make that move official as well.

On Saturday, the Nets issued a press release that they have officially re-signed Claxton to a multi-year contract. As most Nets fans know by now, the reporting around the signing is that Claxton is signing a four-year, $100 million deal with $96 million guaranteed.

Per Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, Claxton’s contract includes $97 million in guarantees and $3 million in potential bonuses. These bonuses could be tied to anything, but for Claxton, they are more likely related to any statistical feats that he achieves along with minimum games played thresholds since he struggled with injuries early in his career.

Either way, Claxton is someone that the Nets were smart to keep around given how much he has grown in the past couple of seasons as he was more available. He ended the 2023-24 season averaging 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.

Nets general manager Sean Marks issued the following statement after Claxton’s was officially announced:

“We are thrilled to have Nic remain in Brooklyn as a core player for our team going forward. Nic has made strides in his game in each of his first five seasons, developing into one of the top defenders in the league. With his outstanding work ethic and dedication, we know that Nic will continue to be relentless in his efforts to maximize his talents and expand his game. Off the court, Nic and his family have embraced being a part of the Brooklyn community and we look forward to the impact he will continue to have on our borough.”

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Former Georgia basketball forward signs 4-year, $100 million contract

Former Georgia basketball standout signs huge contract worth more than what all eight Georgia rookies in the NFL will earn combined

Former Georgia Bulldogs center Nic Claxton has signed a four-year, $100 million contract to return to the Brooklyn Nets. Claxton was the No. 31 pick in the 2019 NBA draft.

Claxton’s contract is worth more than the combined amounts of all eight of Georgia’s 2024 NFL draft picks.

The former Georgia standout is known for his ability to switch on defense. Claxton is among the NBA’s top shot blockers and will anchor Brooklyn’s core alongside Cameron Johnson after the Nets recently traded star Mikal Bridges to the New York Knicks.

The 6-foot-11, 215-pound center averaged 11.8 points, 9.9 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game in 2023-2024 with the Nets. Claxton has made nearly two-thirds (66.1%) of his shots from the field throughout his five year NBA career. Claxton has started in 147 games for Brooklyn over the past two seasons and plays just under 30 minutes per game.

Claxton, 25, will earn the second-most money of any player on the Nets behind Ben Simmons, who is set to make over $40 million in 2024-2025.

Former Georgia guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope has also signed a large contract in NBA free agency. Caldwell-Pope, who is a two-time NBA champion, is signing with the Orlando Magic.

Nets’ Nic Claxton has message after signing four-year, $100 million deal

After intending to re-sign with the Brooklyn Nets for four years and $100 million, center Nic Claxton posted a message on his Instagram.

The Brooklyn Nets have been making noise prior to the 2024 NBA Draft and it wasn’t because of them trading for any picks in the Draft. One day after trading Mikal Bridges to the New York Knicks, Brooklyn took care of business with free-agent center Nic Claxton, who had something to say after re-signing.

After reports of Claxton intending to re-sign with the Nets on a four-year, $100 million deal, he posted on his Instagram story that he knows who he is. The post did not make it clear what he was referring to in terms of knowing who he is, but one thing he can know is that he will be a more wealthy man on a well-deserved deal.

Per Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium, Claxton’s deal will include $96 million guaranteed, the second-highest amount of the team after Simmons’ $177.2 million guaranteed at signing, even though he signed that contract with the Philadelphia 76ers. Claxton appears to be part of the Nets’ rebuild and his contract is not to the point where Brooklyn couldn’t trade him if they needed to do so at a later point in time.

What Claxton’s post does allude to is the fact that he carries a chip on his shoulder after not winning the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year award in either of the past two seasons. Claxton has spoken about being snubbed a few times over the past couple of seasons, but at least he wasn’t passed over in terms of his contract demands.

In 2023-24, Claxton 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. Despite having similar defensive stats that he had during the 2022-23 season, Claxton did not receive any votes for the Defensive Player of the Year award or the All-Defensive teams.

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Nic Claxton intends to re-sign with Nets on four-year, $100 million deal

Per Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, center Nic Claxton intends to re-sign with the Brooklyn Nets on a four-year, $100 million deal.

The Brooklyn Nets are now headed into a full rebuild after trading Mikal Bridges to the New York Knicks for five first-round picks on the night before the first round of the 2024 NBA Draft. It looks like Brooklyn wasn’t done as they re-signed their most important free-agent seemingly minutes before the start of the Draft.

Per Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, Nets center Nic Claxton intends to re-sign with the Nets on a four-year, $100 million deal. According to Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium, Claxton will be getting $96 million guaranteed which seems to be in line with what most reports had communicated about his contract range.

While there seemed to be little worry about Claxton leaving Brooklyn in free-agency, there was some hesitancy that arose with the Nets fanbase from other teams possibly being in pursuit of Claxton. Given that Bridges is no longer on the roster and that the Nets could be trading more of the veteran players on the team, Claxton stands out as one of the players who should be with the team throughout this potentially lengthy rebuild.

Claxton, 25, was an unrestricted free-agent this summer, but he is coming off arguably the second-best season of his career despite not getting a vote for any of the All-Defensive NBA teams this past season despite having similar numbers. Claxton 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.

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Report: Nets’ Nic Claxton is assumed to re-sign and not hit the open market

Per Matt Moore of the Action Network, Brooklyn Nets center Nic Claxton is assumed to be re-signing with Brooklyn and not test free-agency.

The Brooklyn Nets have an important decision ahead of them this offseason as they have to worry about the unrestricted free-agency of center Nic Claxton. While some fans are divided on whether how much Brooklyn should be willing to bring back Claxton, there is reporting to show that he shouldn’t be going anywhere.

According to Matt Moore of the Action Network, most teams around the NBA are “operating under the assumption” that Claxton will re-sign with the Nets at some point this summer. As mentioned above, Claxton will be an unrestricted free-agent and while he could choose to test his market in free-agency, most believe that he’s going back to Brooklyn.

“Nic Claxton won’t hit the market and will instead return to Brooklyn on a multi-year deal in the $20-$25 million annually range,” Moore wrote. Per NBA rules, the Nets have until June 30 to negotiate with Claxton given that he is their free-agent meaning that other teams won’t be able to negotiate with him for awhile.

There are plenty of reports that came out over the course of this year that the general belief is that Claxton’s new contract is expected to be somewhere between $20 million and $25 million per year. At this point, it looks like what will be decided between now and when Claxton signs his next contract is where his money will be within that range.

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