Mobile Menu
HEADLINES

New York Notes: Claxton, Bridges, DiVincenzo, Villanova Trio

February 1st 2024 at 5:25pm CST by Tristan Tucker

The trio of Dorian Finney-Smith, Royce O’Neale and Spencer Dinwiddie remain the likeliest Nets to be on the move before next week’s trade deadline, according to NBA insider Marc Stein. However, in his latest Substack article, Stein writes center Nic Claxton may be more available than previously thought.

According to Stein, there are mixed signals about what Brooklyn’s plans with Claxton may be when he hits unrestricted free agency this summer. The 24-year-old is a valuable asset for Brooklyn and he’s evolved into one of the premier interior defenders across the league.

Claxton is making just $8.75MM in the final year of his contract, so interested teams likely wouldn’t have much of an issue matching salary to acquire him. It is worth mentioning that a January report indicated while Claxton would like to stay in Brooklyn, the Nets are expected to face competition from several suitors in free agency this summer. For what it’s worth, that report speculated Claxton could receive a long-term deal in the range of $90-100MM.

In my view, it may be complicated for any trade to be completed and this could just be due diligence on Brooklyn’s behalf. The Nets seem to value Claxton highly and would likely ask for a massive haul in return for the young center, which opposing teams may not want to meet without assurances he’d re-sign.

The Nets selected Claxton with the No. 31 overall pick in the 2019 draft. He is averaging 12.4 points, 10.4 rebounds and 2.1 blocks while shooting 63.2% from the field in 37 appearances this year.

We have more news from around New York:

  • In the same Substack story, Stein confirms earlier reports on Brooklyn’s lack of interest in fielding any offers from opposing teams for Mikal Bridges. Those reports indicated the Rockets held interest in acquiring Bridges and would send back a haul of picks, including Brooklyn’s own from the James Harden trade in 2021. According to Stein, the Nets wouldn’t be interested in such a package from Houston even if it included former No. 2 overall pick Jalen Green.
  • With the deadline coming up, rumors linking the Knicks to high-scoring guards like Jordan Clarkson have been in no short supply. However, with the Knicks continuing their winning ways, Newday’s Steve Popper writes New York may already have such an option on the roster in Donte DiVincenzo. DiVincenzo is averaging career bests in points (12.4) and three-point percentage (42.6%) this season. Since the start of January, the Villanova product is averaging 15.6 points on 40.0% shooting from beyond the arc on 8.8 attempts per game. He most recently scored 28 points against the Hornets and 33 against the Jazz in back-to-back games.
  • With Julius Randle out due to injury, Villanova alums and current Knicks DiVincenzo, Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart have gotten the opportunity to start alongside each other. The New York Post’s Peter Botte writes the significance of starting together isn’t lost on the trio. “It’s cool, man. It’s dope,” Hart said. “It’s obviously something that we never thought about. Obviously we were in countless lineups together at Nova, but to have something like that, guys that you shared the court with for I don’t know how many games in college, and just seeing the progression individually, it’s really cool to see.“
Retweet 0 Share 0 Send via email0
View Comments (18)