Brooklyn Nets ROSTER SHAKEUP Coming? Insider Drops TRUTH on Claxton, Kuminga & Brooklyn’s Future

Brooklyn Nets ROSTER SHAKEUP Coming? Insider Drops TRUTH on Claxton, Kuminga & Brooklyn’s Future

What is going on, Brooklyn Net fans? Hello everyone and welcome back in to another edition of the Brooklyn Boys Show right here on this Monday afternoon, July 7th, 2025. I appreciate you all tuning in. Make sure you smash that like button and hit subscribe on your way into the building. It’s completely free and it really does help us grow significantly here on the channel. Like I said, can’t thank you all guys enough for tuning in right here on this Monday afternoon and I am honored to be joined by a very special guest right here on the program. It is another none other than ESPN NBA veteran reporter Tim McMahon who’s kind enough to grace us with his presence on the show. Tim, really appreciate you fitting me into your schedule. And how you doing? Howdy, partner. It’s good to be here. Good to be with you. Absolutely. I am super happy you are able to be here. I know we were talking before the show. Obviously, things are so hectic um in the NBA, especially this time of year with free a, you know, the back end of free agency still going on, summer league just kicking off in a few days and then you look up and the NBA season starting in just a few months. But I want to go back to a little under two weeks ago, the NBA draft, the first round just 12 days ago and the Nets had all five first round picks entering the night. they decided to utilize all five of their first round picks, which was viewed as a bit of of a surprise from a fan’s perspective given the fact that it’s never been done in NBA history and there were talks of the Nets looking to trade up maybe trading Cam Johnson on draft night. That ultimately didn’t happen and the Nets utilized all five of their first round picks. Tim, what was it like around the league when the Nets utilized all five of their first round picks? Was it a surprise? Was it expected? What was the kind of assumption around the league entering draft night with the Nets? I think mildly surprising just because it’s difficult to fit five rookies onto the roster, but it’s a clear indication that it is a long-term plan in Brooklyn. It’s it’s not going to be like a rushed rebuild. Um, you know, they’re trying to get this thing right and have something that’ll be sustainable for the long haul. And, you know, look, I don’t know how many of those rookies are going to get significant minutes this year. Might be all of them. It will certainly be at least uh a few of them and that’s obviously not a recipe to win a lot of games next season which that’s okay because they’re likely to get another you know early swing in the lottery next season and uh and and build it up from there. So um and and honestly I rushing a rebuild for the Nets I don’t think is a good idea. I I do think the patient approach is the wise approach. It’s just not necessarily the most exciting approach right now. And you know, as you know, they they did end up trading Cam Johnson for Michael Porter Jr., which essentially was a deal where they agreed to take on a much larger salary um for somewhat similar player um but a much larger salary and they got a heck of an asset for doing so. That 2032 Denver pick, you know, that’s post Joker’s prime. obviously that has a chance to be a very valuable pick. It was certainly an asset that uh that had value around the league. Um and you know, again, I think that’s another indication that that they’re taking a very big picture long-term view in their approach to building the roster. Absolutely. I mean, this is a team right now that’s coming off a season where they won, you know, under under 30 games. This is a team that I I I completely agree with what you said. They’re going to take kind of a long-term approach here. And I think a piece that has the ch a piece a player that has an opportunity to stay in Brooklyn for a long time, but his status is currently up in the air, that’s Cam Thomas. We’ve heard there’s not much of a market for Cam Thomas right now in free agency. He’s currently a restricted free agent. My question to you, Tim, is what’s really the holdup with Cam Thomas? Why hasn’t he been back in Brooklyn? Uh, I would say Cam Thomas wants to be paid and apparently the Nets aren’t too eager to pay him. I think that’s that’s probably the uh simplified view of that whole situation and and you know he’s a pretty polarizing player around the league. The guy obviously can score like he can get buckets. Um can he contribute to winning I think is is a big question around the league. Um my guess is that he is back in Brooklyn uh when next season starts. Um probably not on a long-term deal. You know, I I I think there might be kind of a a compromise between the parties where uh he’s back and it’s more of a short-term situation to allow him to get out into the unrestricted free agency market uh at some point in the not too distant future. Um you know, but if they were eager to commit to him, well, you know, I shouldn’t say that because I think there are that if they were really eager to commit to him, it would be done already. Um, there are situations where, you know, the the the maybe the money can be so far apart in terms of what a player wants, what a franchise sees you that there’s a uh a little bit of a delay. But I I don’t know that Cam Thomas is going to be part of the next good Nets team is the way I would put it. What do you think his value is on a contract for like an AAV, for example? Do you think it’s $13 million a year? Do you think it’s $15 million a year? What do you think Cam Thomas’s value is as a player and how is that viewed around the league? I don’t think it’s that high. I think he ultimately for a good team is a, you know, a bucket getter off the bench. Um, you know, it’s different points in their career obviously, but D’Angelo Russell just got the taxpayer mid-level. you know, I I I don’t think that Cam Thomas is a player who people look at as like a full mid-level or much less more than that. Um, again, I don’t think that he would agree with that assessment, but uh I I don’t think he’s a guy who would be considered a foundation piece for a lot of franchises around the league. I agree. I don’t think he’s a foundation piece. I don’t think Cam Thomas is a player who you can solely build your roster around. And you mentioned it, he doesn’t really do much other than get buckets and score. But I mean, scoring is still a valuable asset in today’s NBA. I know it’s great to have a doit all point guard who could rebound for you, who can get you three, four assists a night. But the ability that Cam Thomas brings to the table where he can shoot the ball from anywhere on the court where he can get a bucket when you need it, he can get you 23 25 points per game in my opinion on a on a fully healthy season. I think there’s still value to that. And if I had to make a prediction right now, I think Cam Thomas is back on this team on a one a cheap one-year deal, a one-year$12 million deal, one-year $15 million deal, somewhere in that range. Then we’re having the same conversation next off season, except I think he’s most likely going to be a restrict an unrestricted free agent next off seasonason. I think if the Nets were really enamored with Cam Thomas, they would have bang this extension out the start of the offseason. I mean, Cam Thomas has been with the Nets for three years. They haven’t really shown that they’re in love with who he is as a player. There were games, especially under head coach Joac Vaughn, where he’d score 40 points, then we wouldn’t even see him the next game. They don’t really advertise him much as the star player on this team. I just don’t think there’s that much love for the Net from the Nets organization with uh with Cam Thomas. So, I do ultimately think he’s back. I think he’s back on a one-year deal and he hits the open market next off season. That’s the risk though on on bringing him back on only a one-year deal because you bring him back on a one-year 123 million deal. He plays 70 games this season and he’s able to average 23 points per game. He’s walking next off season on a and and getting in my opinion which would look like a pretty significant contract because you didn’t want to commit to him long term. That’s that’s the way I view it, Tim. I mean, if he if he’s able to stay healthy and get you 25 points per game, do you think his value changes? I I really don’t because he’s not, you know, he’s not a well-rounded player. He’s not a guy who makes his teammates better. He’s not a guy who makes a a positive impact on the defensive end. Um, you I think you look at you can compare him to guy like Colin Ston early in his career in Cleveland where, you know, he ended up being part of the Donovan Mitchell signing trade. So, he got himself a pretty nice uh second contract. Um, but even though Ston had had had produced and and, you know, put up uh decent scoring numbers over the last few years, the Jazz just had to include a second round pick to trade him for a overpaid backup center. Um, I just don’t think players like that have a whole lot of value around the league. And and honestly, I I think you’re probably overselling what the market would be for Cam Thomas next summer. Maybe I’ll end up being proven wrong, but if I’m sitting in Shawn Mark’s chair, like the the threat of losing Cam Thomas is not something that’s of huge concern for me because again, I don’t think he he’s going to be one of the leading scorers probably. But can he be a leading scoreer on a good team? I’m not convinced of that. I don’t believe the Nets or anybody else in the league’s convinced of that. So, if Cam Thomas ends up somewhere else next summer, that’s a risk I can live with. Someone who’s able to contribute in multiple areas of the game is is Jonathan Kaminga. Like Cam Thomas, he’s currently a restricted free agent. We’ve heard the talks of a potential sign and trade with Golden State signing him and then dishing him out elsewhere. The Nets were listed by the Athletic as a suitor for Kaminga. Tim, based on what you’re hearing, are the Nets really involved in these Jonathan Kaminga sweep stakes? If they are, it’s it’s not very aggressive. That’s for sure. Uh I would say the same thing about Miami. It sounds like Sacramento’s probably been the most aggressive, but I don’t think they’re exactly going all out to try to make this happen. Um you know, Kaminga’s one of the biggest question marks, you know, of the rest of the summer here. you know, him and Josh Giddy in Chicago to a certain degree, but you know, Chicago is probably going to end up keeping Josh Giddy. Um, there’s a clear role for him. You know, he’s their starting point guard is the guy who’s going to have the ball in his hands the most often. The Warriors might end up keeping Kaminga, but there’s not a clear role for him. Um, and if the Warriors end up keeping Kaminga, it’s because there really weren’t, you know, suitable or or reasonable options to get any kind of value for him right now. And look, Steve Kerr’s made it clear um not necessarily through through words, but through actions. He’s not a big Kaminga fan, right? And he certainly doesn’t think he’s a good fit with Steph and with Jimmy Butler. Um, so should Kaminga stay in Golden State, which at this point, you know, I think it’s a probably a flip of the coin type of deal, I would look for that to be on a short-term uh deal with, you know, at at a decent number. probably not quite the Jaylen Green number that he got from Houston, you know, south of that, but essentially he would be a uh, you know, a human trade exception in some senses, a guy that you’re looking to to trade uh and get value for sooner than later. Now, the trick there is if you’re going to have, you know, say it’s a $20 million salary and you’re going to have him on the roster and you’re hoping to trade him at the deadline, probably has to play. Oh, absolutely. He probably has probably has to get minutes, which again is something that Steve Cerr I mean just the guy was DMPCD in the playoffs until um Steph Curry got hurt. So that that right now the Kaminga situation looks to be one where there’s no good immediate solutions and it might just that relationship with the Warriors might just have to continue and and just kind of be an inconvenient situation for both sides cuz Kaminga clearly considers himself a primary offensive player. You know, a guy should be getting shots obviously should be getting minutes. uh his coach is not aligned with that. And so, but right now there’s not like Brooklyn hasn’t been aggressive. Miami hasn’t been aggressive. You know, again, Sacramento is kind of floating around, but it doesn’t look like there’s a clear obvious uh solution this summer there. Kaminga is a really interesting player because he’s a guy who has still has all the upside in the world despite being in the league for a few years now. I mean, I think Kaminga could develop into a really stout defender. He’s he’s already shown the ability to guard multiple positions at this level. I think it developed to into an okay score. I think the goal with Jonathan Kaminga is to get to a point in his career where he’s giving you 15, eight, and eight a night. And I think that’s possible, but you’re betting on upside solely with Kaminga. Like, wait, 15, eight, and eight? What assists? He’s not going to have eight assists in a 15 like 158 and four. Like somewhere somewhere in that rate. 158 and eight is more like the what you want from Josh Giddy. That that’s what I was thinking there. I I would say that the upside of Kaminga is more like 28 and two. Yeah. He’s never He’s He’s not a guy He’s a phenomenal athlete. Great size, athleticism. He’s not a guy who has a lot of feel for the game. Um and and that’s where, you know, Kerr struggles is said, look, if the ball’s going to be in Steph’s hands and Jimmy Butler’s hands, this isn’t a guy who’s got a lot of feel. He’s not a connector. Um, so how does he fit in that puzzle? And you know, then then the question with guys like Kaminga is, okay, is he good enough to be one of your top two or three guys? Um, because if not, then he’s probably kind of a, you know, 15, 20 minute per game guy off the bench because again, if you’re not going to be a primary guy, you’ve got to be a guy who can, you know, fit around the primary guys, be a complimentary player. and he has not shown the uh ability or eagerness to be a complimentary player. Exactly. And again, it just goes back to the whole point that you’re betting on upside like this is what what Kaminga signs is going to be a pretty significant deal compared to what he’s actually shown on the court as an NBA player. I mean, do you do you believe the contracts in the range of four years, hund00 million, whether it’s a signin trade or whether he signs somewhere else? You think it’s $20 million a year, which we’ve been we’ve been hearing a lot? I don’t think it’ll be four years and I don’t think it’ll be 25 per. I think it’ll be there, Tim. Um, yeah, you here. Yeah. Sorry, I think you cut off for a second. Yeah, I don’t think it’ll be four years and I don’t think it’ll be 25 million a year. I don’t think he’s going to get either of those numbers. Okay. So, do you think this is more of a short short-term deal that you’re looking at with Kaminga? Maybe like two for two for 30 in that range. Yeah, maybe a little bit higher than that, but probably again right now I think the most likely scenario is that he ends up staying with the Warriors on a short-term deal with everybody involved hoping that he’s moved by the trade deadline. I want to get into the seven team trade that was, you know, officially confirmed yesterday and officially went through. The Nets added two second round picks as one of the seven teams in that deal. It all started from the Kevin Durant trade. Then it blossom into this historic thing with seven teams officially being involved in involved at the end. How did this trade unfold, Tim? What was the thought process behind this and and what really went into making it a 17 team deal? Yeah, and it’s a lot like the six team trade last year that started with uh Klay Thompson uh going to the Mavericks in a signing trade and then there’s just so much time you just build things out from there. really what these are are I’ I’d have to look at it, but I think you know five or six separate trades that teams just found a way to kind of link together and just for tiny kind of around the margin uh type of benefits. But, you know, for Houston being able to connect all these things allowed them to bring in Clint Capella. Um so, you know, that’s the benefit of that. Again, this is not a deal. This this is the Kevin Durant trade and then a bunch of unrelated trades that were tied together more so than like you didn’t have seven general managers on a conference call, you know, working these things out. It’s just, you know, when there’s a trade of that size and then there’s that much time before it can become official, you know, you’re going to have other things that can be uh linked into it. And again, you know, teams can get, you know, sometimes it’s just, you know, a little bit of cash, sometimes it’s, you know, a a slot to be able to sign a player like Capella, but you’re going to get little advantages on the margins by being able to tie all these things together. I want to go back to the Nets and and and talk about someone who was really the main focus for the Nets last off season, that being Nick Claxton. Signed a huge four-year hundred million dollar contract with the team. One year in, he hadn’t really lived up to the expectations. I mean, this is a guy two years ago who was viewed as a defensive player of the year candidate, one of the better defensive centers in the league. Last year, he took a strong step back, struggled defensively, couldn’t really get in a groove offensive wheel. We all know Nick Claxton isn’t a strong shooter by any measure, but really wasn’t able to get you a double double a night, which he was pretty much able to do consistently just two seasons ago. Tim, do the Nets have any interest in dealing Nick Claxton? I know the Suitors have been kind of going off the table first with the Lakers signing DeAndre Eaton just a few years ago, but from the Nets perspectives, Nets perspective, do they have any interest in moving on from Claxton? I mean, what’s the offer? You know, I I don’t think by any stretch of the imagination is Nick Claxton uh untouchable. Um but I I don’t get the sense that they’re eager to move off of him either. And like Nick Claxton’s offensive production is probably going to be pretty directly uh associated with the quality of point guard or or pick and roll partner that he’s playing with, right? I mean, he’s he’s not you’re not dumping him the ball down on the block. Uh you know, he’s not going to create his own offense. He’s not a stretch player. You know, he’s going to be a guy that’s a lob finisher. Um you know, that’s a rebounder, that’s a putback guy. And if you you know if if you put him you know say this Russian kid that they drafted uh you know I believe with their first pick of the first round say he develops into the kind of pick and roll playmaker that people think he might be then Claxton’s going to look a lot better. Um, and it it’s honestly it’s really hard to evaluate um a that type of big man when he’s in the kind of situation that Claxton was in last year where we all understand the goal of the Brooklyn Nets was not to win as many games as possible. It’s kind of a mishmash type of roster. You know, in a lot of ways it’s it’s like Walker Kesler uh with the Utah Jazz. Um but I I I’m a Claxton fan. I do believe he’s a guy who can help a good team win. Um, and he’s young enough to where, you know, that might end up being in Brooklyn down the road. Um, you know, again, I I I think if Brooklyn wanted to trade Claxton, they could. Um, but I don’t think moving him unless it’s a really good return makes a lot of sense for the Nets. What is the value right now for Nick Claxton on the trademark? Are you looking at like one first round pick? I’ve seen a bunch of the when the Lakers were involved in the trade talks, the main package that I saw I think was Maxi Cleber, Gabe Vincent, and their 2032 unprotected first round pick. What do you think the trade value is right now for a guy like Clax, the Nets, uh, you know, Sean Marks woke up today and decided he wanted to move him? I mean, that kind of a deal. Um, which again, I don’t know if that’s a good enough return. I guess it depends on what the quality of the first round pick would be. Um, you know, the Lakers on the trade that they ended up uh backing out of had a first round pick and a swap for Mark Williams um with Dalton Connect in the deal. Um I I think Claxton’s as valuable, if not more so, than a Mark Williams, but you know, again, I I just don’t think it makes sense for the Nets to like there’s no reason to be eager to move on from a young big who has shown some potential. Tim, really appreciate you sparing some time and joining us right here on the Brooklyn Boy Show. You want to share any final thoughts here before we uh wrap the show up? I would just encourage Nets fans to be patient. Um certainly they will have an opportunity to be aggressive biders in free agency over the next couple years. Uh if they so choose. Um, but this is the kind of season where you’re watching young guys and hope, you know, hoping to see uh glimpses and flashes of of of promise and potential and development. And uh you’re also checking out Tankathon on a pretty regular basis. Tim, really appreciate you joining us. Really appreciate you sparing some time. Everyone, thank you for tuning in. You can find Tim and his incredible work on ESPN.com and at ESPN_mcmah on all social media. Like I said, appreciate you tuning in. Smash that like button, hit subscribe. Thank you for uh for joining us here on the show. He’s Tim McMahon and I am your host Connor Long signing off right here on the Brooklyn Boys Show. Have a great day everyone and as always, go Nets.

Is a roster shakeup coming in Brooklyn? On this episode of The Brooklyn Boys Show, host Connor Long is joined by ESPN’s Tim MacMahon to break down the latest on Nic Claxton trade buzz, the Nets’ interest in Jonathan Kuminga, and what it all means for the team’s new direction. Could a blockbuster move be on the way? What does the future hold for the Nets’ young core?

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