5 Centers the Raptors might replace Jakob Poeltl with by the trade deadline

No. 2: Nic Claxton

The Brooklyn Nets have pointed the nose of their plane straight down at the earth and are seeking to plummet down the standings next season. If the Nets win more than 20 games next year something will have gone significantly wrong. Mikal Bridges is out the door, and it's very likely veteran names such as Dorian Finney-Smith and Cam Johnson will be gone soon.

Nic Claxton is more of a question mark, as he is young enough at 25 years old to potentially stick around but is also likely somewhere near the top of his value right now, and freshly signed to a long-term contract. Playing for the tanktastic Nets this year may decrease his stock and also help Brooklyn win games, an outcome they want to avoid.

If the Raptors wanted to go from ground-bound older veteran at center to a switchable, younger option, investing in Nic Claxton makes some sense. He would be expensive to trade for, but perhaps of similar cost as Poeltl, so they would essentially be swapping the two players.

Claxton is an excellent finisher, a gifted shot-blocker and he and Scottie Barnes would make an intriguing pairing in a scheme more open to switching. He may be overpaid on his new contract, which pays him around $94 million over the next four years, but if the Raptors think he's the right fit they may try to stomach the cost.