3. Nic Claxton
Similar to the aforementioned Jalen Smith, Nic Claxton looks primed to be a casualty of financial decisions as Brooklyn’s payroll has reached apocalyptic levels of undesirable. The Nets are set to owe $96.7 million to Kevin Durant, Ben Simmons, and Joe Harris alone. When you factor in Kyrie Irving’s aggressive pursuit of a max contract extension this summer, this issue becomes even more pressing.
The most likely victim to Brooklyn’s books is the promising restricted free agent Claxton. Brooklyn reserves the right to match any offer sheet accepted by Claxton, but they won’t be able to afford much other than the bare minimum and will instead have to place their faith in Day’Ron Sharpe.
Claxton’s opportunities thus far have been limited largely due to the minimal role he’s required to take next to the superstar talent in Brooklyn, but he’s still found small ways to contribute and make a difference. He averaged 8.7 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks in just 20 minutes played per game this past season.
Given a larger role, Claxton could provide great value on a cheap contract. Just like they did with Alex Caruso last summer, the Bulls could massively benefit by offering the MLE to a promising player who hasn’t had a real chance to break out yet. Thanks to that four-year deal Caruso signed, Chicago now has an elite backup guard under cheap team control.
I think history could repeat itself here as Chicago attempts to find a capable backup center. Also, Claxton would look amazing in a Bulls jersey. That’s got to be worth something, right?