NBA Rumors: Nic Claxton, Nets to Agree on $100M Contract After Mikal Bridges Trade

The Brooklyn Nets and center Nic Claxton have agreed to a four-year, $100 million contract Wednesday, per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

The news comes one day after the Nets dealt Mikal Bridges to the New York Knicks, signaling a major rebuild.

Claxton spent his first five seasons with the Nets. He averaged 11.8 points, 9.9 rebounds and 2.1 blocks in 29.8 minutes per game last season. This is the second straight year Claxton has served as the Nets' primary starter after spending his first three years as a backup.

"It's been a challenge, but it's been a good challenge to have," Claxton said during the season. "It's why you put in all the work in the offseason, to be able to trust your body to play however many minutes that I need to play.

"You want to play minutes. I'm not complaining. I remember when I wasn't even in the rotation. So, now that I'm being asked to play a few more minutes than normal, like I said, that's why you put the work in the offseason."

Claxton remains a non-shooter on the offensive end, so he spends most of his time in the paint, and he has never shot better than 58.1 percent from the free-throw line. Most modern centers provide some level of floor spacing at this point, so Claxton's ceiling is limited as a player, but he's a solid, versatile defender who has improved as a passer.

The Nets will look for him to play a similar role to the one he played last season while making a mid-tier salary. If he can learn to expand his game, Claxton could wind up being a bargain.