Brooklyn Nets center Nicolas Claxton will be an unrestricted free agent this offseason, but if the team has its way, he won't be going anywhere soon. According to general manager Sean Marks, tying Claxton down will be the "No. 1 priority" for the team in the summer. Marks added that he hopes Claxton will be a Net for "a very long time." The comments came after Brooklyn's new head coach, Jordi Fernandez, said at his introductory press conference that he believes Claxton has the potential to win the Defensive Player of the Year Award. Claxton, the 31st pick of the 2019 draft, has just completed his fifth NBA season. He averaged 11.8 points with a career-high 9.9 rebounds and 2.1 blocks in 29.8 minutes.

Brooklyn Nets center Nicolas Claxton (ankle) will return to the court on Wednesday versus Toronto. He missed Sunday's blowout loss to Sacramento with an ankle sprain. Noah Clowney looks set to relinquish his spot in the starting unit, although he could still play a fairly significant role off the bench. It's a good matchup for Brooklyn's big men against a team that's poorly equipped under the rim. Only five teams allow more points to opposing centers than the Raptors, who also struggle in the rebounding department.

Brooklyn Nets center Nicolas Claxton (ankle) is probable for Wednesday's game against the Toronto Raptors. Claxton missed Sunday's blowout loss to the visiting Sacramento Kings due to a sprained left ankle, but his absence with the injury is likely to be held to a one-game minimum. The 24-year-old shot-blocking extraordinaire is supplying 9.4 points, 10.4 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 2.0 blocks in 30.1 minutes per game while shooting a paltry 26.3% from the charity stripe over his past five outings for the Nets, and his return would dump cold water on 2023 first-rounder Noah Clowney's recent surge. Claxton should be able to pull down plenty of boards against Toronto, who are without interior presence Jakob Poeltl (hand) and are giving up the third-most rebounds per game (15.9) to enemy centers this season.

Brooklyn Nets center Nicolas Claxton (ankle) won't play on Sunday against Sacramento. The 24-year-old logged 30 minutes in Saturday's 10-point win over the Pistons. However, he'll now miss Sunday's contest because of a sprained left ankle. Without Claxton on the floor, Day'Ron Sharpe, averaging 12.0 points, 4.0 boards, and 1.0 blocks in his only start this season, is worth rostering in all DFS contests. But with Dorian Finney-Smith (knee) and Cameron Johnson (toe) also sidelined, the door is open for Noah Clowney, Jalen Wilson, and Trendon Watford to receive enough minutes to warrant DFS consideration in large tournament formats.

Brooklyn Nets center Nicolas Claxton (illness) will play on Thursday against Milwaukee. He was questionable because of an illness. However, he at least feels well enough to suit up for this one. Naturally, Claxton's availability will mean less work for Day'Ron Sharpe, who had 17 rebounds in 24 minutes in the loss to the Pelicans on Tuesday evening. But considering Claxton has struggled at times versus the Bucks throughout his career, he may not be the best fantasy option, either, even if Giannis Antetokounmpo (hamstring) misses another game.

Brooklyn Nets center Nicolas Claxton (illness) is sporting a questionable tag ahead of Thursday's battle against Milwaukee. He might be forced to miss his first game of 2024 due to an illness. Claxton has registered six double-doubles in 10 March appearances and would be in a solid position to do damage again on Thursday, as the Bucks struggle defensively and are a mediocre rebounding team. If he's missing, we could see a big performance from Day'Ron Sharpe, with Trendon Watford also in line to see extra minutes.

Brooklyn Nets center Nicolas Claxton led all players in rebounds with 10 in Sunday's contest, resulting in a 120-101 victory over the Cavaliers. The 24-year-old earned a double-double and recorded 16 points (7-10 FG, 2-2 FT), three assists, and one steal in 28 minutes on the court. For Claxton, he has logged a double-double in five of the last six games. He is a solid fantasy option at the center position in all fantasy formats.

Brooklyn Nets center Nicolas Claxton is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, but the team is interested in keeping him around. Claxton originally signed a two-year extension in 2022 that paid him $8.5 million in the first year and $9.6 million in the current season. His name came up around the trade deadline due to the expiring contract, but it seems like the Nets want to make sure he sticks around as an important piece of the rebuild. The 24-year-old has been a great shot-blocker and rim-runner as he proved his worth when the team had enough talent to properly utilize his strengths. Claxton remains a solid center option in all fantasy formats and if the team could get some more point guards or distributors on the team, it would greatly bolster his fantasy value.

Brooklyn Nets center Nicolas Claxton (illness) is expected to suit up on Sunday versus OKC. He's under the weather. However, it seems he's feeling better, or at least well enough to play. At any rate, the 24-year-old has played well this season, averaging 11.6 points, 9.6 rebounds, and 2.5 blocks. He's also shooting a career-high 61.8% from behind the charity stripe. That said, he's a must-start in all fantasy formats. But Claxton's anticipated presence means Day'Ron Sharpe's ceiling will fall substantially.

The Brooklyn Nets will hold center Nicolas Claxton (ankle) out on Wednesday against the Milwaukee Bucks for injury maintenance to his sprained left ankle. Brooklyn is just monitoring Claxton's workload, after the big man dealt with an extended absence in the early stages of the season with this injury. The 24-year-old interior presence helped the Nets take care of the Detroit Pistons with an 11-point, 11-rebound double-double and three blocks in 26 minutes during the 118-112 win on Tuesday. Claxton should return to man the middle on Friday, tangling with fellow rim protector Daniel Gafford and the Washington Wizards. Giannis Antetokounmpo could have a field day in the paint on Wednesday; head coach Jacque Vaughn's rotation will lack the necessary size to have any chance of containing the Greek Freak when deploying some assortment of Royce O'Neale, Trendon Watford, and Day'Ron Sharpe down low.

Brooklyn Nets center Nicolas Claxton is "viewed as a core member of the Nets moving forward, barring a trade offer that blows the team away," per HoopsHype's Michael Scotto. The same can't exactly be said for Spencer Dinwiddie, Dorian Finney-Smith, and Royce O'Neale, who Scotto reports could be on the move out of Brooklyn come time for February's trade deadline. After being stuck playing behind various castoff big men during the team's title-contention window from 2019-2022, Claxton finally broke free last season to lead the Association in field-goal percentage (70.5%) and trailed only Jaren Jackson Jr. in blocks per game (2.5). Though free-throw shooting (55.0%) remains a bugaboo, the 24-year-old interior presence is picking up where he left off a year ago with third-round fantasy figures in 12-team category leagues. Claxton is averaging 12.6 points on 67.2% shooting, 8.3 boards, and 2.9 swats in 27.3 minutes over eight games.

Brooklyn Nets center Nicolas Claxton (ankle) is available for Tuesday's In-Season Tournament game versus the Toronto Raptors, while guard Cam Thomas (ankle) remains out for the contest. Claxton saw an eight-game absence due to a left ankle sprain between Oct. 27 and Nov. 10, so the Nets opted for the cautious route in keeping him out on the second leg of a back-to-back on Sunday vs. the Chicago Bulls. The 24-year-old rim protector is proving in 2023-24 that his 2022-23 breakout was no fluke, totaling 12.3 points, 8.3 boards, and 2.7 rejections during 26.6 minutes per game thus far. Day'Ron Sharpe is in line to lose minutes off head coach Jacque Vaughn's bench on Tuesday. Thomas remains on the mend with a right ankle sprain that he suffered on Nov. 8, with his next to chance to return coming on Thursday vs. the Charlotte Hornets. Spencer Dinwiddie, and especially Lonnie Walker IV, should continue to benefit in fantasy in a very banged-up Brooklyn backcourt.

Brooklyn Nets center Nicolas Claxton (ankle) is questionable ahead of Tuesday's matchup with the visiting Toronto Raptors. Claxton tweaked his ankle in Saturday's contest against the Miami Heat and didn't up on Sunday versus Chicago. With Ben Simmons (back) still out, Dorian Finney-Smith took over in the middle in that one. DFS has played well in the starting lineup this season, averaging 11.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, and shooting 45.7% from behind the arc, making him a viable fantasy option. Day'Ron Sharpe, who nearly had a double-double in 27 minutes of work on Sunday, would also draw streaming interest if Claxton misses a second-straight game.

Brooklyn Nets center Nicolas Claxton (ankle) was originally listed as probable earlier Sunday afternoon, then was downgraded to questionable, then again to out in the matter of 20 minutes. Head coach Jacque Vaughn said that the ankle he hurt was the same one that kept him out for a string of games earlier this season and they tested it during shootaround and warmups. It seems like it wasn't comfortable to give it a shot, so the Nets will probably go with a smaller starting five with Royce O'Neale. Then, Day'Ron Sharpe would see some more minutes off of the bench.

Brooklyn Nets center Nicolas Claxton (ankle) was back on the injury report with an ankle sprain but he's expected to play through it as he was listed probable for the game against the Chicago Bulls on Sunday. Having Claxton on the floor bolsters the Nets' defense in a big way. He should remain in all fantasy lineups as he goes up against a slower, plodding offense in the Bulls. That means more rebounds and blocks on the horizon as he takes on Nikola Vucevic in the paint.

Brooklyn Nets center Nicolas Claxton (ankle) isn't listed on the team's injury report ahead of Sunday's game against the Washington Wizards. He hasn't played since the opener versus the Cleveland Cavaliers, remaining out of the lineup while working his way back from a sprained ankle. Without question, fantasy managers are ecstatic to get the 24-year-old back in their starting lineups. However, although Claxton is a must-start option in all season-long formats, he could see fewer minutes than usual, meaning DFS participants may want to consider other options on Sunday.

Brooklyn Nets center Nicolas Claxton (ankle) has been ruled out for another game as the team prepares to face the Clippers on Wednesday night. He will miss a seventh consecutive game, and it might take a while until we see him again, as there have been some suggestions that he might miss up to eight weeks with a high-ankle sprain. The Nets have tried to cover for Claxton by committee, with Ben Simmons seeing minutes as a small-ball center. Backup big Day'Ron Sharpe has looked promising at times, producing points and rebounds at a good rate, but his minutes even dropped last time out against Milwaukee. All Nets starters should be good fantasy targets on Wednesday's slate, with the clash against the Clippers expected to be a high-scoring game.

Brooklyn Nets center Nicolas Claxton (ankle) will miss a sixth consecutive game Monday versus Milwaukee, and he could be out for a while. He revealed at the weekend that he's dealing with a high ankle sprain, and Nets beat writer Nick Slater has reported that this could potentially lead to a 6-8-week absence for the big man. It looks like we're about to see a lot more of Ben Simmons playing small-ball center in Brooklyn, with Day'Ron Sharpe getting a few more extra minutes off the bench.

Brooklyn Nets center Nicolas Claxton (ankle) won't play on Saturday against the Celtics. The 24-year-old appears to be nearing a return, so fantasy managers may see him back in the lineup soon, possibly as early as Monday's showdown with the Milwaukee Bucks. But in the meantime, Ben Simmons (rest) will get the night off, meaning Dorian Finney-Smith, averaging 15.4 points while shooting 50.0% from deep this season, may handle things in the middle. Day'Ron Sharpe could also see more work on Saturday, although he should be labeled a risky, high-upside speculative option in any fantasy format.

Brooklyn Nets center Nicolas Claxton (ankle) is out for Friday's game against the Chicago Bulls. That will be four consecutive nights missed for Claxton due to a left ankle sprain and it's hard to say if a return is imminent, since the Nets are declaring him out for games fairly well ahead of time. Brooklyn has the second leg of a back-to-back versus the Boston Celtics on Saturday, so that represents the 24-year-old interior presence's next possible return date. The position-less Ben Simmons has essentially functioned as head coach Jacque Vaughn's primary big man in Claxton's stead, with the red-hot Dorian Finney-Smith (averaging 3.3 threes on 48.1% shooting this year) also occupying more minutes at the five. Fresh off a 20-point, 20-rebound display, Nikola Vucevic will look to feast once again on Friday against a downsized Nets squad.