Brooklyn Nets center Nic Claxton signed a four-year, $97 million contract earlier this summer to return to Brooklyn after his second straight near-double-double campaign. Many within the Brooklyn organization have been raving about Claxton heading into this rebuilding season, but could he be more valuable elsewhere?
Greg Swartz Bleacher Report wrote an article earlier this summer about players 25 and under who could benefit from a trade based on the different scenarios they face. Claxton ended up on the list along with players like Portland Trail Blazers guard Anfernee Simons And Golden State Warriors Before Jonathan Kuminga.
As for Claxton, he’s in an interesting situation as he now has the contract he deserves after his performances over the last two seasons, but he’s now on a team that won’t be close to competing for titles anytime soon. However, paying Claxton could have nothing to do with the team’s current rebuild or could have everything to do with it, depending on how the Nets view Claxton’s fit with potential iterations of this franchise moving forward.
Hearing how the head coach Jordi Fernandez and general manager Sean Marks While much of the talk has been about the opportunity for Claxton to continue to grow with the organization, it appears that the franchise wants Claxton to stay for the long haul. However, it should be noted that Claxton reportedly signed his new contract one day after Mikal Bridges was traded to the New York Knicks.
To be clear, one has nothing to do with the other, but it’s an interesting fact to ponder given that the Nets are in asset accumulation and player evaluation mode. Claxton seems happy to be back in Brooklyn and given that he’s still 25, it might take a lot of trouble for him to play for another team anytime soon.
This article was originally published on Nets Wire: Could Nets’ Nic Claxton Need a Change of Scenery With Current Rebuild?
