The Brooklyn Nets intend to sign center Nic Claxton to a four-year, $100-million deal, sources told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.
Retaining the 25-year-old big was a priority for the Nets, who selected him 31st overall in the 2019 draft. Claxton was on course to become an unrestricted free agent after winding down the two-year, $17.3-million contract he signed with Brooklyn in 2022.
Considered among the NBA's best up-and-coming defensive bigs, Claxton scored 11.8 points and grabbed 9.9 rebounds per game for the Nets in his fifth professional season. He also registered 2.1 blocks per contest as he established himself as one of the league's more versatile defending centers, capable of guarding multiple positions and thwarting opponents' attempted switches.
Securing Claxton long term gives the Nets added certainty as the franchise appears on course for a multi-year rebuild. On Tuesday, Brooklyn reportedly agreed to send Mikal Bridges to the New York Knicks for a trove of future draft picks, including five first-rounders - four of which are unprotected. Though Brooklyn doesn't possess its own pick in Wednesday's draft, it now has several lined up through 2029, including up to three in the 2025 first round.
Claxton cannot officially sign his new contract until the NBA's free-agency moratorium ends on July 6.
