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2024 Free Agents - Nic Claxton

Summary
Claxton established himself as the Nets starting center in '22-'23, starting all 76 games that he played. He has become a very good defensive player by showing the potential to be a rim protecting big that can also switch out and defend on the perimeter. He has good size and lateral quickness, and his steal and block rates have very solid. He could benefit from getting a little stronger, as currently he struggles against the bigger centers in the league.  

Offensively, Claxton is a bit limited but he finishes well at the rim and doesn't try to do too much. He has a good offensive rebounding rate, and is able to get put-backs off those rebounds. Claxton needs to improve his free-throw shooting, as he is a career 54% shooter, and he infamously shot 4/22 in the 2022 playoffs.

Coming out of the draft, there was some hope that Claxton could extend his range to three-point land, at least from the corners. While that hasn't materialized yet (Claxton has only taken seven threes in the past two seasons), I wouldn't rule it out going forward. However, we probably need to see Claxton even start taking some more midrange shots before he can consistently launch from the perimeter.

Claxton will still only be 25 years old as a free agent in 2024. Now that he has established himself as a starting center that can be productive but still has room to improve, I expect him to get significant interest in free agency, even if the center market can often be tight.
 
Cap Considerations
Claxton will be an unrestricted free agent with a $16.6 million cap hold and full Bird Rights, meaning the Nets will have no restrictions on re-signing him. As Claxton's cap hold exceeds the salary he will get in free agency, and since the Nets are likely to operate over the cap, his cap hold is not really relevant.

Depending on if the Nets are into the luxury tax (or close to it) after free agency, if Claxton is brought back by the Nets on a multi-year contract they could benefit from frontloading his contract, as it could give them additional flexibility in the future.

For other teams, if Claxton demands a starting salary of more than the full $12.9 million Non-Taxpayer Mid-Level Exception, only teams with cap space will be able to sign him, unless a sign-and-trade is worked out. However, it's possible, but unlikely, that Claxton could be had for the full MLE or slightly less.

Potential Teams: Nets, Wizards, Spurs, Trailblazers, Pelicans

Predicted Contract: 4-year, $84 million with the Nets

Actual Contract: 4-year, $96 million (plus $1 million each year in unlikely bonuses) with the Nets

Claxton got a few million more per year than I expected, plus some bonuses that can push his contract to nine figures.

Last updated: 6/26/2024

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