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Nets’ Nic Claxton trade provides prime ‘opportunity’ for potential breakout center
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- Nets’ Nic Claxton trade provides prime ‘opportunity’ for potential breakout center
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Day'Ron Sharpe has been patiently awaiting his opportunity to play a larger role for the Brooklyn Nets . The Nets' three-team trade sending Nic Claxton to the Chicago Bulls and acquiring Julius Randle will give Sharpe that chance.
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Following two promising seasons, Sharpe is penciled in as the Nets' starting center ahead of the 2026-27 campaign. General Manager Sean Marks is excited to see how the sixth-year center, who just signed a two-year, $20 million contract extension, fares in the role.
"From his standpoint, it's an opportunity. And Day'Ron deserves that opportunity," Marks said. "He's put a lot of work in over the last couple of years. You can see the physical changes; you can see the confidence with which he's played. He's been in our gym really religiously all summer long already. So he knows what's ahead of him. And he knows the expectations that he's put on himself. So again, excited to see not only for Day'Ron, but for a lot of guys, do they seize this opportunity?"
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Sharpe was among the NBA's most impactful backup centers over the last two years.
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Day'Ron Sharpe preparing for starting role with Nets following Nic Claxton trade
Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images
The former No. 29 pick averaged 8.7 points , 6.7 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.1 steals on 60.1 percent shooting in 18.7 minutes per game last season. He posted a +8.0 net rating swing (team points scored minus team points allowed per 100 possessions with a player on vs. off), the eighth-best mark among all centers who played over 1,000 minutes, per CleaningTheGlass.
Sharpe made significant strides as a passer and finisher during his last two seasons. A reshaped physique has also made him effective defensively in numerous pick-and-roll coverages.
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Yet, at 6-foot-9, the North Carolina product is not a high-level rim protector. The same goes for his projected backup, Moe Wagner , who the Nets signed to a two-year, $19 million deal in free agency.
How will Brooklyn protect the rim with Sharpe and Wagner as their center rotation?
"Being disruptive [at the point of attack], that's what our team is going to be known for. That's what we want to be known for," Marks said. "That's the style with which Jordi and the coaches want to play. Whether you're playing out of position, whether you're helping your partner up on there, you're scrambling to make up for it. But I think a physical brand, and we brought in players who are physical. So that's what we want to see. That's contagious. And our rookies will learn from [ the veterans], the sophomores too, having to go through that every day in practice. And then you go out there and do it for 82 games."
Brooklyn has not officially announced the Wagner signing yet. The Nets can exceed the cap to sign the former Orlando Magic big man using the $9.37 million room exception, which would leave them with $11.7 million in cap space. They could also opt to sign Wagner using their remaining cap space, should they not find use for it elsewhere.
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