Since he was drafted 31st overall in the 2nd round back in 2019, Nets Center Nic Claxton has been a favorite by the Brooklyn Nets fanbase. Standing at 6'11", weighing approximately 215 lbs, many fans loved the young big man’s size and length, projecting him to be a high-caliber defender after a few years of development. Unfortunately, Claxton’s first 3 years in the NBA would be full of hardship, as a combination of injuries and illnesses would keep him off the court. In his first 3 seasons in the NBA, Claxton would play a total of 94 games, averaging about 19 minutes per game. Because of his injury history, this caused the front office to be hesitant in giving Claxton a long-term deal in the Summer of 2022, resulting in both parties agreeing to a 2-year $17M contract.
At the time, many fans liked this contract; it allowed the Nets to retain their drafted player for cheap, which would aid in the Nets' efforts to contend as both Kevin Durant & Kyrie Irving were still on the team at the time of this contract. However, what fans failed to realize is that while in the short term, the contract was team-friendly, it would allow Claxton to be an Unrestricted Free Agent in the Summer of 2024, meaning the Nets would have to pay Claxton his market value or risk watching him walk to another team for nothing.
At first, fans weren’t worried about paying Claxton because during his 2022-23 season, he took a massive leap. Despite struggling to stay healthy his first few years in the league, Claxton played 76 games the first year of his new contract, averaging an impressive stat line of 12.6 points, 9.2 rebounds, 2.5 blocks on 70.5% FG. Claxton was 1st in the NBA in Field Goal %, 2nd in Blocks per game, and 16th in rebounds per game, all in just 29.9 minutes per game. Claxton was in DPOY conversations early in the season before Durant & Irving were dealt at the trade deadline; many fans were excited for Claxton’s future, as the Nets were finally able to draft a homegrown Center with possible All-Star potential.
While many fans had high expectations for Claxton in his contract year, his 2023-24 season has been somewhat disappointing to say the least. So far in just 56 games, Claxton is averaging 12.2 points, 9.8 rebounds, 2.1 blocks on 63% FG. While his numbers aren’t that different compared to last season, his impact on the defensive end has not been as tangible as fans expected it to be. Offensively, Claxton has not grown compared to last season; many fans expected him to add some type of jump shot to his arsenal, and aside from an occasional corner 3, this aspect of his game has not been present.
In a report from Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, Claxton is projected to make about $20M to $25M per year in the offseason, meaning Claxton could get a contract as high as 4 years, $100M in the free market. This has caused fans to become terrified, not wanting to overpay another player given his lack of impact during the tumultuous Nets season; many fans instead want to sign & trade him or even let him walk for nothing instead of potentially overpaying him. It should be stated that many fans argue that the organization has created an environment that is causing all players to struggle; Bridges, Johnson, and DFS have all had issues on both ends of the court due to poor coaching, roster construction, and just a lack of direction by the Nets front office. It is very possible that Claxton could easily be a high-impact player under a different system, which is why fans want to keep the 24-year-old.
It is a difficult situation; if you pay Claxton his market value, you take the risk he underperforms the contract, similar to Joe Harris and Cam Johnson who both had declines after receiving their payday. On the other hand, you do not want to lose a drafted asset only 5 years after drafting them because you didn’t want to pay them, similar to the Mavericks with Jalen Brunson. Regardless of what happens, the Nets only have themselves to blame for this situation; all fans can do is hope for the best.
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