Houston Rockets Receive: C Nic Claxton

Brooklyn Nets Receive: C Christian Wood

First, a caveat. Nic Claxton is a Restricted Free Agent this summer. This trade assumes that the Houston Rockets are willing to offer him a contract that’s comparable enough to Wood’s $14.3 million annual salary to orchestrate a sign-and-trade.

If that assumption holds, this is a win-win trade. The Nets probably won’t be able to play Claxton alongside Ben Simmons. As a non-shooting ball-handler, he needs to play alongside shooters in order to be maximized.

Claxton is not a shooter. What he is is a versatile, switchable big who can guard multiple positions. His ability to both protect the rim and defend in space will be a blessing to a Rockets team that finished with the second-worst Defensive Rating in the NBA last season.

If the Rockets hesitate to pull the trigger on this deal, it’ll be due to their faith in big man Alperen Sengun. While he’s currently got limitations on defense, he’s a dynamic offensive big with prodigious passing vision and exceptional low-post footwork.

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If the Rockets would rather avoid having Claxton step on his developmental toes, they’ll probably be more interested in one of the other deals the Nets could put on the table.