ClutchPoints’ Anthony Irwin on the Lakers looking for a starting C:<\/p>\n
“Sources close to the team reiterated that the internal plan is to trade for their starting center \u2013 sources say they’ve held conversations with other teams about Nic Claxton.”#Nets<\/a>https:\/\/t.co\/2gYUugLhCo<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Sharif Phillips-Keaton (@SharifKeaton) June 18, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n The Brooklyn Nets<\/a> are currently navigating an important summer for the franchise as the team has plenty of draft picks and cap space to work with. While Brooklyn will be thinking about who they will be drafting next week and signing in free-agency over the summer, they also have to consider that center Nic Claxton could be pursued.<\/p>\n “Sources close to the team reiterated that the internal plan is to trade for their starting center,” ClutchPoints’ Anthony Irwin<\/a> reported on the Los Angeles Lakers<\/a> as they seek to acquire a starting-caliber center at some point during this offseason. All of the players that played center for the Lakers this past season are currently free-agents, which means that Los Angeles may have to get creative with their problem-solving.<\/p>\n “Sources say they’ve held conversations with other teams about Nic Claxton, Robert Williams, Walker Kessler and others,” Irwin continued. “Then, ideally, use the taxpayer midlevel on his backup \u2013 Brook Lopez and Clint Capela are the two names most often linked to the Lakers.”<\/p>\n Claxton has been linked<\/a> to the Lakers ever since the Lakers lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves<\/a> in the first round of the 2025 NBA Playoffs as it became apparent that Los Angeles needed more center depth. After trading Anthony Davis to the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for Luka Doncic, the Lakers had to resort to a center rotation of players like Jaxson Hayes, Trey Jemison, and Christian Koloko.<\/p>\n Claxton, 26<\/a>, is coming off a 2024-25 season in which he averaged 10.3 points, 7.4 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 1.4 blocks per game while shooting 56.3% from the field and 51.3% from the free-throw line. Bleacher Report’s Andy Bailey gave a framework<\/a> of what a potential deal between the Nets<\/a> and Lakers and Claxton could look like and it involved Brooklyn getting Los Angeles’ highly-coveted 2031 first-round pick.<\/p>\n