NBA free agency: Top centers on the market

Nic Claxton is the best big man on the market. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)

While the crop of centers in this year’s free agent class doesn’t consist of Tier 1 talent, it does have depth and a wide variety of vastly different players who can fill different roles.

Defensive-oriented shot-blockers, inside scorers, excellent rebounders, hustle players and 3-point shooters — this list has it all, which further underlines how vast a transformation the center position has undergone over the past decade.

This year’s top free agents: point guards | shooting guards | small forwards | power forwards

Status: unrestricted free agent
2023-24 salary: $9,625,000
2023-24 digits: 11.8 points, 9.9 rebounds and 2.1 assists

It’s not often you find a 25-year-old center on the market who is both unrestricted and a legitimate Defensive Player of the Year candidate. However, that is the case with Claxton, who finds himself in the position of having control over his own destiny.

The two-way menace is extremely agile and only scratching the surface of the nuances of interior defense. As good as he is already, he’s bound to improve further, given his work ethic and the fact that centers tend to take longer to reach their full potential.

He’s likely going to cost a lot to acquire — or retain, if you’re the Nets. While centers have taken a contractual hit in recent years, Claxton’s combination of age, game influence, skill and plug-and-play capability could see him break that pattern.

Status: unrestricted free agent
2023-24 salary: $9,245,121
2023-24 digits: 11.8 points, 9.9 rebounds and 2.1 assists

When Hartenstein signed with the Knicks two years ago, he signed for far less than his current value, meaning it’ll be difficult for the Knicks to keep him because they have only his early Bird rights and can’t pay him whatever they want.

Has Hartenstein played himself out of New York’s price range? Potentially. If no other major offer materializes, perhaps he could persuade himself to go back to New York and keep the party going.

Hartenstein is a rock-solid defender, elite rebounder, underrated playmaker from the high post and is more than…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/nba-free-agency-top-centers-on-the-market-132914930.html

Author : Yahoo Sports

Publish date : 2024-06-25 13:29:14

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