After a disappointing end to their season, the Los Angeles Lakers are in desperate need of a full time defensive big man.

The Lakers were defeated 103-96 and the story of the night was Minnesota big man who finished with 27 points and 24 rebounds. Last trade deadline, the Lakers made a deal for Charlotte Hornets big man Mark Williams which had been vetoed after the Lakers provided evidence of a failed physical exam. Within that deal, the Lakers had given up rookie Dalton Knecht and two first future round picks. With Los Angeles likely not willing to reconsider trading for Mark Williams, only a handful of names could fix the Lakers big man situation since trading Anthony Davis for Luka Doncic.

Utah Jazz big man Walker Kessler, Brooklyn big man Nic Claxton and Portland Trailblazers big man Robert Williams are three names’ Lakers fans can expect to hear this off-season. Taking a deeper look into the possibilities of each of these three players availability, it is clear the best fit and value is likely Nets big man Nic Claxton, who the Lakers did pursue at this past trade deadline. Newley acquired superstar Luka Doncic sat down with JJ Reddick for a podcast episode last summer. The two discussed Nic Claxton, specifically Luka Doncic who had high praise for the 26-year-old center.

“You have some really great defensive players, you know, like yesterday (vs Brooklyn), I really have to give credit to Claxton. He’s a five, and he was picking me up full court, he was really guarding me good“.

The Dallas Mavericks while Luka Doncic was there, had shown interest in Nic Claxton before. With the Lakers confirmed interest and Luka’s praise for Nic Claxton, the pieces are already being set in place for discussions to begin sometime this off-season.

With Walker Kessler stating he’d love to be back in Utah and Jazz general manager Danny Ainge stating he’d like to bring Kessler back, this leaves the big man race down to just two for Rob Pelinka and the Los Angeles Lakers.

Robert Williams is likely to be the most realistic option in terms of price to acquire but the Lakers are looking at the end of LeBron James and the beginning of Luka Doncic in Los Angeles. With one chapter soon to close, it would likely be more beneficial to start constructing a roster built to win around Luka, who eventually will sign an extension, making him the face of the Los Angeles Lakers. With the emergence of Austin Reeves as a potential Robin to Luka’s Batman, adding Nic Claxton can be done very easily if willing. A package of Rui Hachimura and one of either Gabe Vincent or Dalton Knecht plus a first round pick could be seen as the deal to be made for both sides.

For Brooklyn, gaining two expiring contracts in Hachimura and Vincent could be the golden ticket to financial flexibility for the 2026 and 2027 off-season’s. Claxton, who is still due for $69 million over the next three years, would virtually be wiped from Brooklyn’s financial books, freeing up 25-28 million this offseason as well as an additional 20-23 million during the 2026 and 2027 off-season’s. With Brooklyn’s five draft picks this year, the chances of drafting a big man are very high, with names such as Derik Queen, Khaman Maluach, Thomas Sorber and Joan Beringer headlining the class. For Brooklyn, it makes sense to finally move on from Nic Claxton who had a very underwhelming season on a bottom tier team. Before the departure of Kyrie Irving, James Harden and Kevin Durant, Claxton was seen as one of the top defensive players in basketball. The Nets also have Day’Ron Sharpe, who is entering restricted free agency in which the Nets can match any offer they’d like. It would almost be insane for Brooklyn not to take trading Claxton seriously as the Nets would be able to bring back Sharpe for a fraction of Claxton’s price while also freeing up financial flexibility for the next two seasons.

Expect to see Nic Claxton’s name begin to be thrown around between the week of draft night into July’s free agency time frame. For Brooklyn, Sean Marks should take into consideration the value of gaining more assets for players like Nic Claxton and Cam Johnson, who are no longer improving, taking up too much cap space and don’t impact Brooklyn’s long-term hope for winning.