![\"Nic](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/GettyImages-2247929727.jpg\")
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Brooklyn Nets center Nic Claxton during a game against the Boston Celtics in November 2025<\/p>\n
For much of the season, the prevailing belief around the NBA was that the Los Angeles Lakers<\/a> would approach the trade deadline cautiously, constrained by a limited pool of movable assets.<\/p>\n Multiple reports<\/a> have indicated that general manager Rob Pelinka is actively surveying the market for upgrades, with an emphasis on adding a young two-way wing.<\/p>\n Recent reporting, however, suggests the Lakers\u2019 search may extend beyond the perimeter.<\/p>\n According to ESPN\u2019s Tim Bontemps and Brian Windhorst<\/a>, Los Angeles has also been canvassing the league for frontcourt help, specifically rim protection.<\/p>\n That broader approach has now produced a notable name.<\/p>\n Lakers Linked to Frontcourt Upgrade<\/p>\n According to Forbes\u2019 Evan Sidery<\/a>, one of the centers on the Lakers\u2019 radar is Nic Claxton<\/a> of the Brooklyn Nets<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cNic Claxton is a trade target for the Lakers,\u201d Sidery reported. \u201cLA has been openly shopping Dalton Knecht<\/a> plus $22.5 million in expiring contracts via Gabe Vincent and Maxi Kleber<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n Vincent carries an $11.5 million expiring deal, while Kleber is owed $11 million.<\/p>\n Sidery has previously reported<\/a> that Rui Hachimura\u2019s $18.2 million expiring contract could be part of broader discussions as the Lakers attempt to construct workable salary combinations.<\/p>\n Dalton Knecht, meanwhile, has struggled to generate traction on the trade market. As reported by The Athletic\u2019s Dan Woike<\/a>, the second-year guard\u2019s value has dipped amid a sharp downturn in form.<\/p>\n Claxton, 26, is in the second year<\/a> of a four-year, $97 million contract. He is earning $25.3 million this season, with the deal running through the 2027-28 campaign.<\/p>\n The Cost and the Catch<\/p>\n While the Lakers have been reluctant to take on long-term salary, Claxton\u2019s contract structure could soften that concern. The deal is front-loaded and declines in value, with his salary dropping to $20.9 million in the final season.<\/p>\n Through 40 games, Claxton is averaging 12.6 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists, and 1.4 blocks per game while shooting 58.3% from the field. His 103 offensive rebounds rank 17th league-wide.<\/p>\n The 6-foot-11 center would immediately address multiple areas of need. The Lakers have lacked consistent rim protection and physicality this season, particularly with DeAndre Ayton<\/a> experiencing an inconsistent first year in Los Angeles. Rebounding and interior defense remain among the team\u2019s weakest metrics.<\/p>\n \u201cIn need of more defense and athleticism, Claxton fits the billing, but the Nets will require a 1st-round pick as well,\u201d Sidery added.<\/p>\n That requirement presents the primary obstacle. The Lakers currently control only one tradable first-round pick from either 2031 or 2032.<\/p>\n However, reports<\/a> indicate that Pelinka is exploring ways to convert one of those picks into multiple selections, a strategy designed to expand the team\u2019s overall trade flexibility.<\/p>\n \u201cWith the Lakers, the word on the street is they\u2019re trying to package Jarred Vanderbilt<\/a> and Gabe Vincent together for a wing,\u201d Kevin O\u2019Connor of Yahoo! Sports<\/a> recently said.<\/p>\n \u201cNow, the really interesting thing with them is, they\u2019ve been shopping around their future 2032 first-round pick for multiple first-round draft picks.\u201d<\/p>\n That approach may represent the only realistic path to landing a center of Claxton\u2019s caliber while preserving enough optionality to pursue wing help.<\/p>\n It would also reinforce the roster around Luka Doncic<\/a> in the present while carefully managing what remains of LeBron James\u2019 increasingly narrow window.<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tMatt Evans<\/a> is a sports journalist from the United Kingdom, based in Paris, with over a decade of experience covering the NBA and wider global sport. More about Matt Evans<\/a>\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tMore Heavy on Lakers\n\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\tLoading more stories\n\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Getty Brooklyn Nets center Nic Claxton during a game against the Boston Celtics in November 2025 For much…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":431661,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[574],"tags":[64,63,726,85],"class_list":{"0":"post-431660","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-basketball","8":"tag-au","9":"tag-australia","10":"tag-basketball","11":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/431660","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=431660"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/431660\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/431661"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=431660"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=431660"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=431660"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}