Magic free agency: Ranking the top available centers in 2024

1. Nic Claxton

Nic Claxton is an unrestricted free agent this summer, and considering the Nets' uncertain future, he could probably be convinced to leave Brooklyn. If the Magic are looking for a defensive-minded center and rim protector, Claxton is the best option available in free agency. 

For two consecutive seasons now, the 25-year-old averaged more than two blocks per game. He ranked eighth in blocks per game across the league for the regular season. The Magic currently do not have a center like Claxton—someone who can block shots at a high level and play above the rim. 

Besides his defense, Claxton has also taken steps offensively. In 2023-24, he averaged 11.8 points, took a career-high 8.2 field goal attempts per game, and converted 62.9 percent of them. Due to his efficiency, he does not need the ball a lot to impact the game. 

Claxton does not have an outside shot, however, and would thus bring a much different dimension of center play than what the Magic are used to from Wendell Carter Jr. Adding a non-shooter to this team can only work if the shooting on the perimeter improves significantly. 

Still, Claxton is a force defensively, and someone of his archetype would turn the Magic into an even scarier defense. They already ranked at the top of the league with only two bench players—Jonathan Isaac and Goga Bitadze—averaging over one block per game.