Report: Brooklyn Nets Open to Trading Nic Claxton and Day’Ron Sharpe

The Brooklyn Nets have made Day’Ron Sharpe and Nic Claxton available for trade, per ClutchPoints’ Erik Slater, and the Los Angeles Lakers are “one of several teams that have inquired” about Sharpe this season.

Sharpe is making $4 million this season and will be an unrestricted free agent in the summer. Claxton, on the other hand, just signed a four-year, $97 million contract with Brooklyn in June. The NBA trade deadline is on Thursday. The Nets and the Lakers have already been trade partners this season, with the former sending Dorian Finney-Smith and Shake Milton to Los Angeles in return for D'Angelo Russell, Maxwell Lewis and three second-round picks.

This is not the first time this year that the former UNC big has been involved in trade rumors. On Dec. 21, Slater reported that multiple teams were interested in Sharpe, whose value was said to be multiple second-round picks. The Lakers, alongside the Memphis Grizzlies, LA Clippers, New Orleans Pelicans and Toronto Raptors, were mentioned as a possible destination. Senior NBA Insider Michael Scotto of HoopsHype also said on Dec. 8 that Sharpe was seen by teams as a “younger, cheaper” frontcourt option.

Sharpe missed Brooklyn’s 21 games of the season due to a left hamstring strain. He returned on Dec. 2, and is averaging 7.9 points, 6.2 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 0.5 blocks in his fourth year in the NBA. Those are solid, although not gaudy, numbers — but they really balloon when looked at in terms of per 36 possessions. Maybe Sharpe could blow up with more playing time.

Claxton penned a new deal with the Nets during the off-season to stay in Brooklyn, but this season has been a bit of a struggle for him. He’s not dominating the paint on either side of the basketball, and his numbers have also dipped to 9.9 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game. The slight decline offensively might be because Claxton’s skill set is best suited to playing with a natural point guard, but he should be doing more on defense.

The Athletic’s NBA trade board writes this about the Nets’ center: “Expect the Nets to keep a high price tag on Claxton, but it just might not be the right time to move him.”

Claxton, 25, is making about $27.5 this season. His contract gets cheaper over time, however, concluding in a final $20.9 season in 2027-28 before he can hit unrestricted free agency. The Nets drafted Claxton with the No. 31 pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, and this is his sixth season with the organization.

The biggest pending question for Brooklyn ahead of the Feb. 6 trade deadline continues to be Cam Johnson’s future. The Nets wing has been the team’s best player this season, and he reportedly remains highly-coveted by many other teams around the league. One of the rumors swirling around the Nets — De’Aaron Fox’s future — appears to be resolved, following the now-former Sacramento Kings’ point guard’s trade to the San Antonio Spurs.

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