Newly installed Brooklyn Nets head coach Jordi Fernández made it abundantly clear he considers fifth-year center Nic Claxton to be a big part of the franchise's future.

During his introductory press conference, Fernández said he believes Claxton has the potential to win Defensive Player of the Year while helping facilitate the offense on the other end of the floor.

The coach also said the 6'11" big is "a priority this summer," alluding to his unrestricted free agency.

General manager Sean Marks echoed Fernández's words and called Claxton "the No. 1 priority for us."

Claxton averaged 11.8 points, 9.9 rebounds and 2.1 blocks in 2023-24. He continued to perform well in a starting role after having been marginalized a bit earlier in his career while the Nets set their sights on a title.

The present market can be tough for more traditional centers and the 2019 second-round pick certainly fit under the stretch big archetype. He's 3-of-19 on three-pointers for his career.

But his switchability on defense along with his ability to operate out of the pick-and-roll will make him an in-demand free agent.

While it lacks matching rights with Claxton, Brooklyn will have his Bird rights, so the team can exceed the salary cap to re-sign him. That's critical for the Nets because they have $134.1 million on the books for 2024-25 before accounting for any new deals or cap holds.

That Marks mostly has the entire roster already under contract provides one benefit in that he can focus a lot of his attention on retaining Claxton. He's by far the best Nets player hitting the open market, and the organization's lack of spending flexibility means it won't be setting aside a chunk of cash for outside additions.

Based on the comments from Fernández's and Marks, the odds are looking good the defensive standout will continue to call Brooklyn home next season.