Getty Bruce Brown #1 reacts with Kevin Durant #7 and Nicolas Claxton #33 of the Brooklyn Nets after grabbing a loose ball during the first half against the Chicago Bulls
The Brooklyn Nets have seven players from this year’s roster scheduled to hit the market on July 1, when the free agency period officially opens. But perhaps the most important pending Nets free agent is their big man Nicolas Claxton who has continued to build his game during his time in Brooklyn. Claxton has improved his points, rebounds, and field goal percentage every year since he entered the league in 2019.
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Nets Expected to Match Offers for Nicolas Claxton
At 23 years old with an abundance of raw talent, any team would be glad to have Claxton as their center for the future. But one Eastern Conference general manager says that the Nets are prepared to match any offers that the young center may receive from other teams this summer.
“He is not going to get more than a midlevel offer from a team like Charlotte or Chicago, and if that is the case, they’re comfortable matching it. He is restricted, they can match anything another team gives him. He is looking at something like three years, $35 million,” one Eastern Conference general manager told Heavy’s own Sean Deveney.
“They are not sold on him as the big guy of the future but at that number, they’d keep him around, and know they can move him in a deal next summer if they have something better in mind. Trouble is, they’ve got a short window here so they can’t wait for him too long. But Sean (Marks) is a believer in development and they are not going to give up on him that fast.”
Amare Stoudemire Clarifies Decision to Leave Nets
Several members of last year’s coaching staff won’t be returning to the Nets in 2023. One of those is Steve Nash’s former Phoenix Suns teammate, Amare Stoudemire, who served as a player development assistant for the Nets for the past two seasons. Stoudemire detailed the reason for his decision to not return to Brooklyn in 2023.
“I spoke about me not being able to grow in the coaching space because I don’t work on Shabbat. Not working on Friday nights and Saturdays is difficult for anyone to grow in the coaching space because coaching is such a grind. It requires you to be there full-time and so for me, I was unable to grow in that space, so I did not want to continue coaching. On the flip side, the Nets organization wants people who can be there full-time, and I totally understand that, Therefore, it was a mutual understanding between them and I,” Stoudemire said on an Instagram live on May 18.
“Beautiful organization. Sean Marks and I are great friends. Steve Nash and I are good friends. I met all the staff. The organizational employees that work for the Nets are beautiful people. (I) had a beautiful time, and an amazing experience with the organization. There’s no hard feeling no way, no how. I was there for two years sacrificing my time away from my family for those two years but still was able to hold down the fort and fulfill my obligation. So, there’s no quitting from that standpoint.”
The Nets will enter the 2022-23 season looking to solidify themselves as title contenders. A lot of changes have already taken place in the organization. It will be interesting to see what changes could be on the way.
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Nets Expected to Match Offers for Prized Free Agent During Offseason