NBA Trade Rumors: A surprise center with All-Star potential could emerge as an unlikely NBA Trade Deadline candidate.
After already trading away two of their core pieces over the last few weeks, it's become quite clear that the Brooklyn Nets are going to be a key participant at the NBA Trade Deadline. Especially considering they may hold the biggest name, Cam Johnson, that could end up being traded over the next few weeks. But in addition to Johnson, there may be another big-name Net who could be on the move.
According to some recent reporting, there could be a growing belief that Nic Claxton, the Nets' standout young center, could also be on the block as we quickly approach the NBA Trade Deadline. After signing a $100 million contract extension with the team during the offseason, the belief was that Claxton was going to be a long-term building block for Brooklyn heading into the future. That may not be completely the case anymore.
Why the Brooklyn Nets should be doing their due diligence
As the Nets prepare for a complete rebuild, it would probably be smart for the team to at least explore Claxton's market. If there's an offer that they can't deny, maybe he does get traded. But it doesn't hurt for Brooklyn to explore the market between now and the trade deadline.
Even though Claxton's numbers have been slightly down this season, he's still averaging 10 points and eight rebounds on 54 percent shooting from the floor. At just 25 years old, Claxton could still just be scratching the surface of his long-term potential and could have some All-Star promise down the road.
From an objective perspective, considering how young and talented of a player he is, you'd have to imagine that it's probably going to take something like two first-round picks for a team to pry Claxton out of Brooklyn's hands. With the center market the way it is at the moment, it's hard to imagine any team willing to make that level of sacrifice. There are other cheaper centers on the market that will get strong looks before Claxton.
However, it only takes one team for a deal to get done. Could there be a young team in the league that views Claxton as somewhat of a missing piece for their roster construction? It would not be that outlandish of an idea. And heading into the NBA Trade Deadline, it's certainly something else to keep a close eye on. The Nets are planning to be very active in the next few weeks and it does appear as if nothing could be completely off the table for the team.