The Brooklyn Nets officially announced on Wednesday that they will exercise the team option for the 2026-27 season in Noah Clowney's rookie contract effective immediately. Clowney's salary is expected to be $5.4 million starting in October next year, a $2 million increase from this season.

The 21-year-old Clowney, the 13th overall pick in the 2023 first round, has played two seasons for the Brooklyn Nets. He had a remarkable first year in the NBA, averaging 5.8 points, 3.5 rebounds, 0.8 assists, and 0.7 blocks in 16.1 minutes per game, while shooting 53.8% from the field and 36.4% from three-point range.

Due to multiple ankle sprains, Clowney played in only 46 regular-season games for the Nets last season. He averaged 22.7 minutes per game, scoring 9.1 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 0.9 assists. His field goal percentage and three-point shooting percentage dropped to 35.8% and 33.3%, respectively.

Clowney is in the third season of a four-year contract and has appeared in four preseason games with the team. During that time, he averaged 9.3 points and 3.0 rebounds per game while shooting 43.7% from the field.

Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez spoke highly of Clowney's performance in the preseason: "Noah fits our requirements perfectly. From the perspective of the team atmosphere, he has performed very well this summer. In addition to his physical improvement, his personality and mentality have also become more mature, and he has become a mature man. Based on my observations in the game, he will continue to improve. He also has the shooting ability, size advantage, toughness and leadership we need."

According to multiple sources, Clowney is expected to start at power forward this season in place of Michael Porter Jr. However, the Nets' frontcourt is currently crowded, with Nic Claxton, De'Ron Sharpe, Danny Wolf, and Zaiel Williams all expected to compete with Clowney for playing time.