Trade rumors have dominated all discussion surrounding the Boston Celtics over the past month, even more so this past week. Giannis Antetokounmpo’s name has risen above all others as the most heavily linked to Boston. Could the Cs wind up with Giannis? Absolutely.
But, what if they don’t?
Maybe Brooklyn Nets big man Nic Claxton should be a player that they consider. The 27-year-old still has two years and $44 million left on his team-friendly contract. Claxton’s deal actually decreases in annual value, sinking to $21.1 million in the 2027-28 season.
The former Georgia standout started in all 69 of his appearances for Brooklyn in the 2025-26 campaign. He averaged 11.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 1.1 blocks per game while shooting 57.1% from the field.
Nic Claxton's Nets teams haven't always been bad
Those numbers, though not at the same level as they were a few years ago, still give a hint of what Claxton is capable of -- even when playing alongside one of the NBA’s worst performing rosters.
One of his better games of the season came at TD Garden against the Celtics back in November. Claxton tallied a triple-double with 18 points, 11 rebounds, and 12 assists in a rare Nets win. Many of those assists came off of dribble handoffs to Michael Porter Jr., but still showed a great sense for the game and a strong screen-setting ability.
Claxton proved that he could fit on a contending team earlier in the decade when he played alongside Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and James Harden in Brooklyn, albeit in a smaller role.
There’s plenty of reason to believe that he can fit into whatever the Celtics are building this summer thanks to his low-usage offensive playstyle and history of protecting the rim. At his peak in 2022-23, Claxton nearly averaged a double-double with 2.5 blocks per game on the side while converting 70.5% of his attempts from the field.
Nic Claxton's contract would make him a smart add for Boston
Any time you can have a starting caliber player on an inexpensive contract, it’s ironically a luxury. With NBA Insider Marc Stein effectively confirming that Nikola Vucevic will not return to the Cs next season, Claxton could slide right into his salary slot on the cap table, allowing the team to remain below the luxury tax threshold.
He technically fits into the $27 million trade exception that Boston created for themselves back in February. Now, that doesn’t mean the Cs could get him for free, but they could theoretically land Claxton without having to match his exact salary. That’s a big deal for Boston because they only employ three players who could match Claxton’s money by themselves; Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Derrick White.
Trading any of those three would defeat the purpose of bringing in the big man as a supporting starter (or perhaps a bench option behind Neemias Queta).
It’s tough to say exactly what the price would be, though. The Nets have no clear direction, so someone like Sam Hauser may not be what they’re looking for. Perhaps Boston would be forced to cough up a few picks and one of Baylor Scheierman, Jordan Walsh, or Hugo Gonzalez?
Again, that’s just speculation. There’s been no reporting about Brooklyn’s interest in trading Claxton, what the asking price would be, or the Celtics having interest in trading for him. The latter could make him a legitimate candidate, since Boston typically trades in silence. It’s rare to hear anything of their moves before they actually happen.
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