Nets coach Jordi Fernandez - retaining Nic Claxton a 'priority' - ESPN

NEW YORK — New Brooklyn Nets coach Jordi Fernandez wasted no time making his feelings felt about the roster — and, specifically, the status of unrestricted free agent center Nic Claxton, whom Fernandez said was a «priority» to retain in free agency.

«Nic is a quote-unquote big that has defensive versatility,» Fernandez said at his introductory press conference at the team's practice facility overlooking the New York harbor Wednesday morning. «I believe he'll be Defensive Player of the Year. For us, he's a priority in this summer, and the way we can play through him — obviously he's great in pick and roll, he's quick to the rim, he puts pressure on the rim — but also his ability to play the dribble-handoff game which, as you guys know, lately in the NBA is a style that is very efficient.

»When everybody touches the ball and everybody's involved, everybody's happier. You're harder to guard because there's more… you're not that predictable to just play pick-and-roll. So he fits perfectly what we want to do moving forward."

Claxton, a long, athletic 6-foot-11 center, is coming off a season where he finished with averages of 11.8 points, 9.9 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game while shooting 62 percent from the field. The first pick of the second round in the 2019 NBA draft, Claxton — who signed a two-year deal two summers ago — is an early entry into unrestricted free agency, having just turned 25 a week ago.

But Fernandez, along with the team's general manager Sean Marks, made it clear that Claxton remains an important part of the team's plans, and that they hope to have him part of Brooklyn's plans moving forward.

«I think Nic is the number one priority for us,» Marks said. «There's no doubt about that. We hope he's a Net for