Lakers, Lakers trade, Nic Claxton
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Lakers head coach JJ Redick and Rob Pelinka, President of Basketball Operations and General Manager, arrive for press conference
The Los Angeles Lakers could target Brooklyn Nets center Nic Claxton ahead of the February 5 NBA trade deadline. According to ClutchPoints’ Brett Siegel, Claxton has been a part of the Lakers trade wishlist since last season, and the franchise will once again pursue the athletic big man before their playoff run.
“Speaking of Claxton, it is worth mentioning that he has been a center on the Lakers’ wishlist dating back to last season,” Siegel reported on November 28.
“He is very much in play to be traded as one of the best center trade candidates before February,” added the NBA insider.
It is widely believed that the Nets — who are off to a 3-15 start — will shop all their veterans ahead of the deadline, including Claxton, Michael Porter Jr. and Terance Mann. Even Cam Thomas, an unrestricted free agent in 2026, could be available for the right price, per multiple insiders covering the New York-based franchise.
Lakers Trade Options
The Lakers (14-4) tightened their hold over the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference on Friday with a 129-119 win over the Dallas Mavericks. Typically, teams that make such a triumphant start to the season don’t actively seek out players in trades. However, many insiders and analysts have suggested that the Lakers have too many roster deficiencies to compete with the Oklahoma City Thunder, Denver Nuggets and Houston Rockets — the three teams that sit atop most early advanced metrics.
Despite their hot start, the Lakers rank 17th in defensive rating, sixth in offensive rating and 12th in net rating — not markers of a dominant title contender.
Their biggest issue has been their interior defense. JJ Redick’s men are allowing 48.7 points in the paint, 10.4 more than the juggernaut Thunder, ranking 10th in the league.
Lakers Rim Protection Not Good
As such, it would make perfect sense for the Lakers to target an elite rim protector like Nic Claxton, given that interior defense has been their weakness thus far.
In his NBA first-month lessons piece, ESPN’s Tim Bontemps cited the Lakers’ interior defense as the reason scouts are wary of picking them as a title contender.
“Opponents are having a field day at the rim, with the Lakers giving up 69% shooting inside of 5 feet (fourth worst in the NBA),” Bontemps wrote on November 21.
“While they have an 11-4 record [improved to 14-4 since], they have middling overall efficiency numbers. Add it up, and while it has been an impressive opening few weeks in the standings, it’s still unclear just how high this team’s ceiling really is — which was reflected in conversations this week with sources around the league.”
Nic Claxton has three years left on the four-year, $97 million contract he signed with the Nets in June 2024. The Lakers could potentially build a package around Rui Hachimura and either Gabe Vincent or Maxi Kleber to pry Claxton away from Brooklyn.