RUMOR: Is Nic Claxton the Suns’ NEXT target after Kevin Durant BLOCKBUSTER? | Brooklyn Nets report

RUMOR: Is Nic Claxton the Suns’ NEXT target after Kevin Durant BLOCKBUSTER? | Brooklyn Nets report

coming up could the nets be the suns’s next trade partner following the kevin durant blockbuster i’ll answer that after this [Music] you are locked on nets your daily brooklyn nets podcast part of the locked on podcast network your team every day welcome in to the lockdown nets podcast right here on the lockdown podcast network it’s your team the brooklyn nets every single day i’m eric slater brooklyn’s b reporter for clutchpoints.com thank you for making me your first listen of the day this show is 100% free on all those great platforms this episode is brought to you by monarch money take control of your finances with monarch money use code lockdown nba on monarchmoney.com for 50% off your first year and on today’s show i’m going to break down why the nets could be the suns’s next trade partner following the kd blockbuster detailing how they could help phoenix from a roster and financial perspective filming this at sunday night about 11 11:05 p.m the nba finals actually just concluded just wanted to give some brief thoughts on that we saw the oklahoma city thunder get their first title of the uh okc era youngest team to win a championship and i think it was 40 years or something along those lines and this game you know it had a really unfortunate start with tyrese hallebertton going down with what looked to be a torn achilles and it really just it was still a great game but it just it took the wind out of the game early on and it was such a magical run for hallebertton and the pacers and he had the calf injury everyone knew that and to see him go out there and go down the way he did it was really just heartbreaking it was terrible to see and it’s one of those situations where everybody knows the calf strains are so tough from you know a risk perspective for the achilles but it’s game seven of the nba finals you work your whole life to get to that point you can’t really expect a guy not to play and you can’t fault him for you know putting it all on the line there because if you don’t and you lose you know there’s always going to be the whatifs so hallebertton tries to play through it he has a hot start he hit three threes right in the beginning of the game then he goes down with the achilles and that’s just terrible and then from there the pacers put up a really admirable fight as they have you know the entire playoffs no matter what the circumstances were but the thunder were just too much and this is a thunder team that obviously has the mvp with um sga and he did an unbelievable job in these playoffs but just looking at the rest of the team and the way that team was constructed and things that they were able to do obviously they have sga as the lead shot creator he does all those things he carries a load they have some great secondary shot creation but in this game throughout the whole playoffs it’s been their calling card but in this game specifically as well just the defensive pressure the versatility you know i think teams from a roster building perspective it’s trending this direction the thunder are really anom an anomaly at this point with what they’re able to do but just the two-way versatility the ball pressure what they’re able to do pressuring guys 94 ft getting up into ball handlers up into passing lanes just not only no defensive liabilities out there no defensive liabilities whatsoever but also just the defensive you know the plus defenders that they’re able to throw at you in every which direction so just two-way versatility defensive capabilities just length being able to pressure the ball it just really stood out with this okc squad and i think you’re going to see you know the nba trending forward the players are just getting better and better more athletic and you know you just need to have defenders like this you need to have guys who can make other teams uncomfortable and that is you know a a championship winning formula basketball and we really saw it from okc throughout this whole season but particularly in these playoffs and in this game seven it was just on full display but getting into the suns news and how the nets could potentially be involved obviously news broke uh at about 1 pm today of the kd trade finally going through kevin durant is a member of the houston rockets uh the rockets sending over uh jaylen green dylan brooks the number 10 pick in this year’s draft and five second round picks so i think you know an underwhelming package but a package you know i don’t think anybody expected that the suns were going to get too much for kevin durant at 37 years old they waited as long as they could they finally had to accept an offer ahead of the draft and they wind up going with this one and it’s only a two-team deal at this point but because of a poison pill clause in jaylen green’s contract this deal is not going to be finalized until july 6th so there is potential for the nets to get involved here or any other team for this deal to expand and be a three-team deal and i think the nets you know i’ve spoken about their potential to get involved you know them not being involved in the initial announcement of this deal might lend you know it might indicate that it’s not the most likely thing to happen but if you’re looking at where phoenix is after this trade they’re really going to have two orders of business the first being they need a center like they they’re trying to stay competitive they’re trying to retool around devin booker you look at the only you know rotation caliber center they have on this team right now is nick richards and i don’t think on a good team you know he’s not the really the starting center you want so regardless need to add someone and they probably need to add a starting caliber guy a rim runner you know rim protector a guy who can do some of the things they want alongside devin booker number two is they need to shed more money to get below the second apron because you look at their financial situation after this deal they have around $10 million in space with six roster spots to fill and uh 10 million in space below the second apron and if you include the $6 million salary that’ll be for the number 10 pick next year it’s only $4 million with five spots to fill so they need to get off more money in order to be below that second apron and there’s a number of ways they can do that but one of the ways they can do that is salary dumping people and we know up to this point i’ve gone over adnauseium the nets are the team that have you know the only team projected to have salary cap space let alone significant salary cap space which puts them in a position to take on some contracts for uh draft picks prospects any kind of compensation they can get so those two order of business needing a center on the sunset needing to shed more money the nets are in position to help them out with both of those things if they want they obviously have nick claxton who is a guy who’s been rumored to be potentially available for trade no intel from the nets end they have given no indication that he’s available for trade but based on where they’re at in their timeline based on you know what they’re doing as a rebuilding team really entering the first season of this rebuild right now claxton is a logical guy who could be available for the right price anybody on this net team is going to be available for the right price so they have that they um you know have the ability to take on these salary dumps and i want to start with claxton i think that he’s an interesting name in this regard because you know i i’ve heard some things that i haven’t heard anything from the nets end about them making claxton available about them you know including him uh in negotiations talking to teams about him but i know from the suns end that the suns like nick claxton more specifically jordan the new suns head coach who was an assistant with the nets for nick claxton’s first three seasons i i think it was jordan knets for the lakers in 2022 so he was there uh for a few seasons a couple of seasons where nick was a full-time member of the rotation and i know a is a fan of claxton and from things i’ve heard uh when the suns have been going over the hole at center and you know what they need to fill the potential options claxton has been very high on a’s list of um you know guys that he’d like to see them go after to fill that center spot and whether or not the suns front office feels the same way how they feel about claxton as a player how they feel about his contract that remains to be seen but they just hired a head coach in jordan not after a very extensive search and claxton’s a guy that he has experience with claxton’s a guy that he seems to like and claxton’s a guy you know if you’re going to put all that trust in a new head coach i think you’re going to hear him out when it comes to how he wants to build his team and his opinions on what he needs to be successful within his philosophy so nick claxton potentially a target there for the right price and you know this is going to be something now where the lakers are a team obviously who needs a center we’ve know that they’ve been linked to nick claxton over the last you know half of last season after the luca dante trade and into this off season now you have the phoenix suns a team that desperately needs a center so you have two teams potentially the nets could have some more leverage there between phoenix and between los angeles two teams in need of a center maybe you play them against them each other maybe there’s a potential there for you to fetch a nice return for nick claxton and what could that look like in a net suns deal i’ll get into that after a quick break but before that want to tell you about our friends over at ollipop ollipop is a new kind of soda made for people who love the classic taste of soda but want something that supports their health with just two to five grams of sugar and nine grams of prebiotic fiber in 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the phoenix suns and a trade maybe expanding the kevin durant blockbuster that just went down between phoenix and houston and i said two areas that the nets could help phoenix after this uh kd blockbuster number one was getting a center for them number two is helping them shed money to get below the second apron focusing on number one and nick claxton’s potential as a target and a guy that jordan au likes there and potentially the suns could look to go after when you look at you know phoenix and what they got in this trade the headline asset that they got is the number 10 pick in this draft so you know there’s a framework that could potentially be had involving that where obviously the nets have 19 the nets have 26 the nets have 27 we’re two days out from the draft so this would have to happen obviously this would have to have to come together pretty quickly but there is a framework there where maybe the nets take back one of uh phoenix’s midsize contracts or maybe they take back multiple contracts to help them shed some money they send back claxton and in return they move up from one of their picks whether it’s 19 whether it’s 26 whether it’s 27 to get to 10 i know that phoenix was you know highly coveting that number 10 pick in trade negotiations because when you look at what they got jaylen green probably seen as a negative contract by most front offices dylan brooks a good player but 30 years old you know a rotation caliber player but nothing like headlining there for a phoenix team that’s going to be a few years away probably from competing the number 10 pick was the premium asset that they got in this deal so even if they’re acquiring a player like claxton i think obviously they’re going to value that you know very highly because it’s the main asset they got in this deal so i wouldn’t expect them to just give it up or i wouldn’t expect obviously the nets to be getting that like outright or even moving up from 26 or or 27 to 10 there could potentially be a framework where maybe the nets move up from 19 to 10 and um claxton is involved you take back a midsize contract whether it’s you know maybe dylan brooks and royce o’neal or grayson allen like dylan brooks grayson allen royce o’neal three midsize contracts that aren’t you know too long-term allen has three years uh royce has three years but has a small number and um dylan brooks has two years one after this coming season so you can take take back some assortment of those guys with claxton package it with 19 um package claxton with 19 and try to move up to 10 and that would give the nets you know two top 10 picks two lottery picks an ability to pick from you know two of the you know second third tier prospects in this class and give them two really nice players so i think that that’s something that’s definitely a possibility for the nets at this point it’s something that i think the suns will look into and it’s something that if the suns were to go after that you know it would have to come together rather quickly as i said because by the time this is posted it’s going to be monday morning the draft’s wednesday night so if this deal was going to expand both teams would have to get into it pretty quickly and if you look at you know where phoenix is at right now they’re a team that can’t really blow it up obviously like they didn’t make this trade to blow it up they really can’t reset without the control of their picks because the suns have their picks they didn’t get any of their picks back in this deal uh so it really is just trying to retool this around devin booker and trying to stay competitive and they’re not going to do that without a decent center on the roster if you’re trying to get devin booker to stay invested giving them a pick and roll giving giving him a pick and roll partner something to play off of you know nick claxton could be a nice guy there and really something better than what he’s had at his disposal throughout this era obviously they gave up so much in that initial kevin durant trade and they really weren’t able to fill that center spot um you know they went after yousef nerkich that deal turned into just a massive failure then they went and got nick richards nice player but not a guy there who you know is going to necessarily um you know be a starting caliber guy for them so nick claxton i think makes a lot of sense does it make sense from the nets end obviously going to depend on what the trade is if you’re looking at an opportunity for the nets to move up to 10 that i think would be pretty enticing especially if maybe you get back dylan brooks in the deal maybe it’s a deal where it’s 19 and claxton for 10 and dylan brooks you know something of that um something of that uh that framework and the nets can move up there and you have dylan brooks who isn’t really a salary dump maybe you can flip him for something else maybe there’s something in that framework that works but when you look at the suns roster construction right now they have a lot of guards you know shooting guard wing they have a lot of guys in that positional mode a little bit smaller they obviously have bradley beal and jaylen green devin booker alongside them then you have grayson allen royce o’neal dylan brooks it’s just a log jam on the wing there and i do think they’d value dylan brooks because he’s a veteran guy he um you know has that ability to be a guy who’s a pesk and do some things defensively but at his age you know i think it wouldn’t be a guy that they’re necessarily just like off limits that we’re not going to move off of him so if you can take him and you know flip him into a guy like claxton still have a top 20 first round pick alongside that you’re getting in this deal and then you have these other wing players who are still at your disposal you know in the rotation it’s not the worst outcome for them and there’s definitely a logic a rhyme a reason that you could tell from their perspective and you could tell from the nets’s perspective so do i think that that’s likely to happen with nick claxton going to the suns i wouldn’t say it’s likely i don’t think the nets have to trade claxton at this point obviously i’ve been over that on several podcasts he has you know three years left on his contract the final it’s descending so the final two years are going to be a pretty good value but if the nets are able to get up into the top 10 a second top 10 pick in this draft and they have a guy that they really love and they want to you know get at eight and they have another guy that they’re really high on they don’t think they can get at 19 and they move up to 10 that would make a lot of sense and i have heard that the nets have been trying they have been inquiring with teams about moving up to acquire a second lottery pick so i know it’s something that they have interest in whether they have interest in using nick claxton as a vehicle to do that that remains to be seen but there are enough things here you know that could line up to make this make sense you know the nets want to move up and get a second lottery pick the suns need a center there’s a framework that makes sense for both sides there with the suns not you know just giving it up for nothing in terms of draft picks in this year’s draft they could get one in 19 so both sides have something they’re looking to do both sides have something the other wants and whether or not they’re able to come to agreement that they you know deem as fair we’ll see but i think we’ll you know obviously know sooner rather than later on the claxton front because the draft is on wednesday there’s also the potential salary dump front with phoenix needing to get off this money maybe there’s a framework that doesn’t even involve claxton what could that look like i’ll get to that after a quick break but before that want to tell you about our friends over at monarch money ever check your bank account and wonder where did all my money go between dining out 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finalized until july 6th it could expand into a three-team deal and i talked about how nick claxton could potentially be involved in that uh with the suns needing a center there but the second thing that the suns also need to do is they need to shed some salary before uh to get below that second apron you know we’ve seen them since they took on bradley beiel’s contract this past season they were in the second apron it imposes all those harsh team building restrictions and i think it’s safe to say after making this kd trade and not they’re not going into a rebuild but they’re retooling and they’re unlikely to be a contender this coming season getting below the second apron has to be a priority for them and i said you know they can create some more space you know i said nine they have $9.9 million in space with six roster spots left to fill that’s assuming that they wave vasili micheich and also cody martin waving those two guys would get them to you know 9.9 million in space with six roster spots left off to fill and even then you need to get off more money in order to be able to properly fill out a roster while staying below that second apron line so how can they do that do they need the nets to do that there are ways that phoenix can get below that second apron line without the nets help and without the use of the nets cap space you know we’ve heard about bradley beal obviously um his contract has been a huge impediment to them from a team building perspective he has that no trade clause could they get him to wave that and could they trade him i think it’s pretty unlikely at this point that they’re going to find a trade for him without you know first he has to wave his no trade cost but also they’d have to attach premium assets to get a team to take on that contract which is you know has what 110 $120 million left over the next two seasons so i think that’s unlikely an idea that has been floated by some suns people as them potentially buying him out they could potentially look to do that but be would obviously have to agree to that he would have to give up you know a portion like yosi goslin who i recently did a podcast with wrote a great had a great article about this from a couple months ago for seeing this as a potential possibility and he cited kemell walker and blake griffin as possibilities guys who had an extra year you know the season and then a coming season after that left on their contract big money guys who agreed to buyouts both of them gave it back around 25% of what was remaining on their contract will bradley beal do that he doesn’t have to do that could he maybe will if he could potentially make it up with a contract during that two-year span with another team and also if the suns say “hey we’re not going to play you and you know you’re not going to be a part of this rotation and you’re just going to sit on the bench.” maybe they could leverage him or force him you know to do it that way but bradley beal has been a guy who’s been comfortable sitting there we saw it last season with all the dysfunction that played out but that is one way that they would be able to get under the second apron without the nets help another way that they could try to save some money is royce o’neal’s only on under contract for around 10 to 11 million this coming season they could trade o’neal to a team with a non-taxpayer mid-level exception which is 14.1 million and in the new cba that um the taxpayer and non-t taxpayer mid-level exceptions can be used as a trade exception so a team with that exception could absorb royce royce o’neal into that without having to send any salary back so that is another option for the suns but if they’re looking to get off more money and if they’re looking to you know shed a little bit more than what would be just o’neal’s 10 or 11 million salary they have grayson allen obviously who’s around 16 to 17 million in that range and they have dylan brooks who’s at 21 to 22 million so those are guys that they could look to get off of and create a little bit more breathing room and flexibility and the nets obviously have the salary cap space to take on one of those guys in return for what it would depend on you know you’re looking at what the suns have from a draft pick perspective they have um the number 10 pick obviously i talked about the frameworks that could be possible involving claxton there could the nets potentially get that number 10 pick without sending back claxton and just taking on a salary dump i i would say that’s probably pretty unlikely um given you know what i said about how much the suns probably covet that pick given it was the only premium asset that they got back in this kd in this kd trade but never say never but you know if you look at the assets behind that what the suns have they have a couple of first round picks that they got in that trade um when they sent this past season when they sent their 2031 first round pick to the jazz and they got back those three um other first round picks which are kind of the crappy first round picks like they’re the they’re the three there’s three swap possibilities and they’re the lowest of the swap possibilities so they’re going to be low first rounders so they have the number 10 pick they have those two first rounders which are probably going to be lower than they have all the second round picks they got back in this deal is there a way that the nets could figure out you know the nets and suns could figure out how to save them some money help them get below the second apron using some of those assets i definitely think that it’s a possibility and in those scenarios i think you’d be looking at guys like grayson allen royce o’neal dylan brooks probably jaylen green is the big money guy he makes you know $33 million they got him back as the main salary filler in this trade and you know he’s got three years left on his contract and if the nets were going to entertain taking that on i never thought they would but they were going to i think that would have already happened there’s been reports that you know the suns over this in this framework which was obviously a known framework for a while now over the last couple weeks the suns have been trying to find a third team to take on that jaylen green contract in order to save themselves some money and get below that second apron they weren’t able to do it i would assume i don’t know anything from the nets side but i would assume logically the nets being the only team in the nba with significant caps so they got the call about jaylen green they got the call about you know potentially taking that deal on and it doesn’t seem like it was something that they thought was worth their while for what the suns were willing to give up and i just don’t think that shawn marks would want to clog the books for that long you know three coming seasons especially nets are going to pay cam thomas probably um in the coming week or two so i that didn’t really seem like something that made sense could they potentially work something out salary dump wise with some of these other guys maybe you know you would think maybe that it would have gotten announced with this initial deal if that was going to happen but you know it doesn’t really have to happen until the draft and you could see maybe the nets are holding out to get more from the suns in this potential situation the suns might be trying to work through some other frameworks some of the other possibilities that i talked about to see if they can get that done before the draft so they might be waiting until the last minute there but there are with the nets having this cap space with the suns needing to dip below the second apron and having some of these mid you know midsize salary guys there is something there that could make sense as is the case with what i said about clax and them potentially getting involved there so a couple of different ways that the nets can help the suns it hasn’t happened yet will it happen we’ll see you know is it the most likely thing in the world maybe not but from the claxton end of it i think that that’s something definitely to monitor because i do know as i said jordan a is familiar with claxton i know he likes claxton and i know that the suns have uh the nets have been trying to trade up and acquire a second lottery pick so i think that’s something that could potentially make a lot of sense and both sides could look to maybe get something done there so we’ll see i’ll have more coverage of it over the next couple days leading up to the draft i’ll be on top of all of it but that does it for this episode of locked on nets appreciate all of you for tuning in if you do not already make sure to subscribe on youtube and wherever you get your podcast whether apple podcast or spotify like this video if you enjoy the content comment tell me what you think about these potential ideas anything you can do to engage is much appreciated but i’ll be back tomorrow talking more brooklyn nets basketball

Erik Slater explores whether the Brooklyn Nets could be the Phoenix Suns’ next trade partner following the Kevin Durant blockbuster. He focuses on the Suns’ pressing needs for a center and salary cap relief. The discussion explores potential trade scenarios involving Nic Claxton and salary dumps to help Phoenix duck below the second apron.

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