Trading for Nic Claxton Would Not Fix Anything For the Charlotte Hornets

The Charlotte Hornets are going to make a move to upgrade their front court this summer -- it has become a 'when,' not an 'if.'

The question is: which one?

There are a number of starting-caliber big men on the market via trade and free agency, ranging from superstars like two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo to high-end role players like Zach Collins and Mo Wagner.

According to HoopsHype's Michael Scotto, the Hornets have turned their attention to an Eastern Conference center who has some familiarity with Charlotte's lead decision-maker Jeff Peterson.

"With Charlotte considering a starting-caliber center upgrade, other centers besides [Domantas] Sabonis are on their radar, including Brooklyn Nets center Nic Claxton, league sources told HoopsHype. In addition, it’s worth noting that the Nets have expressed interest in Hornets free agent guard Coby White in the past when he was on the Chicago Bulls, sources said.

Breaking down Charlotte's reported interest in Nic Claxton

This one is a head-scratcher for me.

Based on their current roster construction, the Nets don't make much sense as a landing spot for Coby White in free agency. Brooklyn already employs a number of players who are most effective as lead ball handlers, most notably 2025 first-round draft picks Egor Demin and Nolan Traore, and are in prime position to add another high-end point guard with the sixth overall pick in next week's NBA Draft.

The Nets have a boatload of cash to spend when free agency opens up next week, but those greenbacks should be going to a back court player with a higher ceiling than White (think Austin Reeves) or to a front court player who can play alongside their developmental back court, not steal minutes from them.

If Brooklyn do covet White, it is because they're looking to make a push for the postseason next year. The Nets don't have control of their 2027 first-round selection, giving them no reason to tank again. If nothing else, White does represent an immediate upgrade over their current back court options, even if playing him big minutes stunts their development

While I can understand why Brooklyn would have some interest in acquiring White to kick start their rebuild, this move doesn't move the needle for Charlotte.

There is far too much overlap in the skillsets of Claxton and incumbent center Moussa Diabate, and although the Brooklyn center carriers better name-recognition than Diabate, there's an argument to be made that Moussa is just straight up the better player.

DPM trajectory of Diabate and Claxton | Darko DPM

According to all-encompassing impact metrics like DPM and EPM, Diabate is the more impactful center at this juncture. He's three years younger than Claxton and clearly on the ascendancy of his career. Claxton a worse rebounder than Diabate, he doesn't finish as well, and arguably most importantly, doesn't offer any floor spacing component to his game.

I'd listen to an argument about Claxton's passing and ball handling being an improvement over Diabate (he averaged a career high 3.7 assists in 2026), but those are ancillary pieces to his game that are still just flashes at this point, not features worth believing in long-term.

When Charlotte eventually makes a move for a big man, they need to acquire one that diversifies the skill set of their current group, not overlap it. Claxton is just a more-expensive, less-impactful version of the center the Hornets currently rely on, and giving up Coby White's supercharged scoring punch off the bench for a player this similar to Diabate wouldn't move the needle enough for Charlotte to justify the cost.

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