As they begin the rebuilding process, the Nets made sure to hang onto center Nic Claxton, whom they believe could eventually become the NBA’s best defender, writes Brian Lewis of The New York Post. Before reaching free agency, Claxton agreed to a four-year deal that contains $97MM in guaranteed money. He’ll be part of the roster foundation that Brooklyn will try to build around.
“He was our priority this summer,” new head coach Jordi Fernandez said. “He’s a big part of what we’re trying to do, obviously age-wise and how he’s progressed all these years. And we — me personally, and the organization — believe that he’s still getting much better. [He can win] Defensive Player of the Year. He’s a good play-maker, he can be even a better play-maker. We’re excited about his development. We’re excited that he’s part of the organization for a long time.”
Claxton’s production has steadily increased since he was selected with the 31st pick in the 2019 draft. He averaged a career-high 9.9 rebounds in 71 games last season, along with 11.8 points and 2.1 blocks. He gives the Nets a strong interior presence on both ends of the court as they try to reshape the rest of the roster into a contender.
“It’s great to have homegrown talent here,” general manager Sean Marks said. “Nic fits in a variety [of] different pathways we want to go. He’s young, he’s still scratching the surface here, and I just love his overall approach to him wanting more and more and more development. So now, with some of the changes to our roster, I think we’ll see even more from Nic as we move forward.”
There’s more on the Nets:
- Dariq Whitehead admitted he had some “rust” during Friday’s Summer League opener, but he felt good being back on the court after undergoing three surgeries in 18 months, Lewis states in a separate story. The 22nd pick in the 2023 draft was limited to two NBA games and four G League contests last season, but he’s feeling fully healthy for the first time since high school. “Just being able to move laterally, just being able to beat someone to the spot, I haven’t been able to do that in a long time. So I’m just taking that as a stepping stone for me just being able to do that. It feels so good just to be out there and be able to move my feet side-to-side laterally again,” Whitehead said. “So just continue to take baby steps and knock the rust off and eventually get going.”
- Trendon Watford is happy to have some security after accepting a one-year qualifying offer this week, Lewis adds in another piece. Twelve months ago, Watford was searching for an NBA job after being waived by Portland. He signed with the Nets in August and appeared in 63 games, playing his best basketball late in the season when interim coach Kevin Ollie leaned heavily on the team’s younger players. Watford reached double figures in scoring in eight of Brooklyn’s final 11 games.
- In a subscriber-only story, Lewis looks at how Fernandez is already making an impact on his new team.
Claxton is the 26th best center in assists per 36 minutes out of the 42 centers with enough games/minutes played so he has ways to go with the playmaking