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Nic Claxton #33 of the Brooklyn Nets reacts against the Chicago Bulls in the first half at Barclays Center on February 09, 2026 in New York City.
The Los Angeles Lakers have struggled with Deandre Ayton this season. While he has put together some strong performances recently, the prevailing thought is that the team will look for another big man to replace the former first overall pick in the post.
While the Lakers have been linked to a few players in trade rumors or potential free agency additions this offseason, Nic Claxton of the Brooklyn Nets could be a strong candidate to replace Ayton in Los Angeles next season.
Claxton has been on the trade board for the Lakers in the past, and over the previous few years, he’s been a consistent performer on a Nets team that doesn’t have a clear direction in the future.
Lakers Trade Idea For Nic Claxton
Writing for Bleacher Report, here is the Lakers trade idea for Claxton that Greg Swartz proposed:
Brooklyn Nets Receive: Dalton Knecht, Jarred Vanderbilt, 2026 first-round pick (projected No. 25 overall)
Los Angeles Lakers Receive: Nic Claxton
Los Angeles would give up both Knecht and Vanderbilt as well as a pick, but the chance to bring in a true lob threat and strong pick-and-roll partner for Luka Doncic feels like it would be worth this price.
“Claxton gives the Lakers a better option at center over Deandre Ayton, someone who can be a defensive anchor, finish lobs from Luka Dončić and not complain about his role,” Swartz wrote on the trade idea.
On the season, Claxton is averaging 12 points, 7.1 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 1.2 blocks on 57.6% shooting in 60 games. He’s put up similar numbers for the past four years, but hasn’t had the chance to play winning basketball for the majority of his career in Brooklyn.
Additionally, for the Lakers, they’ve already tried to trade Knecht, and Vanderbilt would be a salary cap filler. Claxton is only making an average of just over $22 million in the next two years, and if he can be a true starting center for the team, that should be a price they are willing to pay.
Lakers Deandre Ayton Problem
While Ayton has put together a few strong games for the Lakers recently, he remains extremely volatile, and whether they like it or not, his performance has a major impact on the team’s success.
According to a recent report by Khobi Price of the California Post, when Ayton is playing well, the Lakers win. However, that hasn’t been the case a whole lot, and amid his emotional outbursts and overall uncertainty on the court, requiring him to have a good game isn’t what Los Angeles would want on a roster that already features three other stars.
However, regardless of whether Ayton has a future with the Lakers or not, Austin Reaves knows he is who the team needs to play well to have success.
“That guy right there is the X factor,” Reaves told ESPN. “He changes our ceiling.”
While it’s hard to exactly determine what that ceiling is for Los Angeles with Ayton on the court, he isn’t the type of player that Doncic has proven to play well with in the past. On the season, he’s averaging 12.6 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 0.9 blocks on 66.9% shooting, but leaves a lot to be desired on the pick and roll, as a lob threat, and a rim-protector.
Whether it’s trading for Claxton, another defensive-minded big, or even elevating Jaxson Hayes to a starting role, it is fair to say that Ayton’s place on this Lakers team is by no means safe after this season.
Eli Gregorski is a sports journalist covering the NBA for Heavy Sports. He has years of sports writing experience covering the NBA, NFL, college football and basketball, international soccer, and Formula One. He graduated from the University of Colorado Boulder, where he was the assistant sports editor for the award-winning CU Independent student publication. More about Eli Gregorski
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