Brooklyn Nets, Nic Claxton Could Agree to Deal Before He Hits Unrestricted Free Agency

Could the Nets avoid competing for Nic Claxton on the open market?

Feb 26, 2024; Memphis, Tennessee, USA; Brooklyn Nets center Nic Claxton (33) reacts after a basket during the first half against the Memphis Grizzlies at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports / Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports

The Brooklyn Nets have a chance to secure the servies of Nic Claxton before he hits the open market.

When Claxton initially signed his deal with the Nets, he bet on himself, letting him hit unrestricted free agency sooner. It paid off, too. Now, he's set to earn anywhere from $20 million to $25 million annually, getting a much-deserved pay raise.

However, the Nets can lock down Claxton for four more years before they get into a bidding war in free agency. The Nets are legally able to negotiate with Claxton directly after the NBA Finals -- which begins Thursday between the Dallas Mavericks and Boston Celtics.

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Any other of the 29 teams who want to negotiate with Claxton will have to wait until 6 p.m. ET on June 30, when free agency opens up.

Nets general manager Sean Marks -- echoed by new head coach Jordi Fernandez -- claimed that Claxton was the team's No. 1 priority heading into the offseason.

“Nic is the No. 1 priority for us, there’s no doubt about that,” Marks said. “We hope he’s a Net for a very long time. We hope we can continue to build around him and build with him and so forth. And it’s been fun to watch Nic develop from his days at Georgia coming all the way through here. He’s scratched the surface on who he could end up being one day.” 

This would give the Nets a distinct direction, too, at least for the short term. The team is build very, very solid. Yet they're coming off a 32-50 season and have no draft picks. They've got incredibly solid role players and a roster that could perfectly complement a superstar -- one of which they don't have.

Either way, it doesn't matter if Claxton opts to hit the open market, which could be realistic if Brooklyn doesn't hit the value he expects.

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