Instant Grade: Bulls Steal Nets' Nic Claxton in Three-Team Trade on Draft Night Eve
Instant Grade: Bulls Steal Nets' Nic Claxton in Three-Team Trade on Draft Night Eve
The Chicago Bulls may have pulled off a heist, landing big man Nic Claxton for nothing in return.Elias Schuster|
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Chicago BullsBrooklyn NetsIn a stunning move on draft night eve, the Chicago Bulls have jumped into into a three-team trade.
According to ESPN's Shams Charania, the Minnesota Timberwolves are sending Julius Randle and the No. 28 pick to the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for the No. 33 pick. Meanwhile, the Brooklyn Nets will send big man Nic Claxton to the Chicago Bulls.
The Timberwolves are essentially offloading the remainder of Randle's contract in order to open up more future flexibility. They are looking to re-sign former Bulls guard Ayo Dosunmu this offseason, and they also currently have Naz Reid, who has played like a worthy starter to fill Randle's role.
As for the Nets, they take a chance on an All-Star big and get a higher pick in Tuesday's draft in the process. They also shed some salary themselves, sending the remaining two years of Claxton's deal to the Bulls.
The deal itself can not be officially complete until after the league's moratorium period ends following free agency. However, if Charania's initial framework is correct, Chicago has seemingly given up nothing in the process. They instead merely used their league-high cap space to add Claxton and fill a clear position of need.
Claxton is owed a combined $44.4 million over the next two seasons before becoming an unrestricted free agent. The deal leaves Bryson Graham with plenty of cap space – a little over $30+ million – as he continues to build his first roster as lead executive.
UPDATE: Per Spotrac's Keith Smith, the Bulls will theoretically have to trade something to make this deal legal. But that could merely be cash considerations. We'll see.
Chicago will need to send something to Minnesota or vice versa for this trade to be legal. That can be accomplished by sending out cash or top-55 protected second-round pick. Doesn't have to be anything with true trade value.
— Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) June 23, 2026
UPDATE AGAIN: According to Jake Fischer of The Stein Line, Mouhamadou Gueye is being sent to the Timberwolves to make the deal official. So, yes, it appears the Bulls essentially used this deal like a free-agent signing. A very savvy first move by Bryson Graham.
The Bulls are trading Mo Gueye to Minnesota, sources say, to complete the three-team deal that sends Julius Randle and No. 28 in tomorrow’s NBA Draft to Brooklyn for No. 33, and reroutes Nic Claxton into Chicago’s cap space in the new league year. Gueye’s salary is non-guaranteed…
— Jake Fischer (@JakeLFischer) June 23, 2026
Grading the Chicago Bulls' Trade for Nic Claxton
Once again, details could still emerge, so we have to be prepared to potentially alter this grade down the road. If the framework of the trade stays this way, however, it's hard not to see it as anything other than a massive win for the Bulls.
Bryson Graham's first move is to add a completely serviceable starting center and rim protector for absolutely nothing. Yes, they will have to pay the remainder of Claxton's contract, but they have a very clean cap sheet and the deal itself isn't anything daunting. In fact, Claxton's contract is descending, with him owed $23.3 million in 2026-27 and $21.0 million in 2027-28.
He also fills a very obvious position of need for this franchise. Other than Jalen Smith, the Bulls do not have a current center option on the roster. Rim protection has also been a long-running problem for the team, and this is exactly the area in which Claxton excels.
Indeed, Claxton has averaged 1.6 blocks per game over his career. He's even averaged over 2.0 a game in two of his seven seasons in the league. While Claxton isn't a floor-spacer on the offensive end, he is a switchable big who moves well and has some great athletic pop. Speaking of which, he undoubtedly fits the SLAP profile that Graham has touted in the past.
Having said that, Claxton isn't some kind of zero offensively. He is a good rim-runner and finisher, shooting 62.2 percent from the field over his career. Likewise, Claxton has always been a strong offensive rebounder, scooping over 2.0 a game and capitalizing on second-chance opportunities. His passing has also long stood out.
The 2025-26 campaign wasn't necessarily the best season, averaging 11.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game. But Claxton still stayed healthy and was fighting an uphill battle on a tanking team. Overall, he is not at all the kind of player who you typically add for nothing in return, yet new lead executive Bryson Graham has seemingly done exactly that.
Now, are the Bulls going to be a winning team over the final two years of Claxton's contract? Probably not, and that's why some might argue for the cap space to be used differently. At the same time, Claxton is still only 27 years old and could prove to be worth re-signing down the road. This also isn't the same NBA. The league just changed the tanking rules, and the Bulls need to ensure they're not swimming at the bottom of the barrel. Claxton will help with that.
And, hey, isn't there something to be said about building an immediate identity? Graham has stressed the importance of being a two-way team. The Bulls' defense has been near the bottom of the NBA for years and Claxton can help clean things up on that end. Especially when thinking about the development of young players, you don't want opposing teams to be effortlessly feasting at the rim.
At the end of the day, if things hold, this might as well have been a no-brainer for the Bulls. They got a talented, young big man while maintaining all their assets and significant financial flexibility.
INSTANT GRADE: A-
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Published 14 hours ago | Modified 13 hours ago
ELIAS SCHUSTERElias Schuster is a sports journalist and content creator from the northern suburbs of Chicago. A graduate from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, he has covered the Bulls since 2019-20 and previously served as the editor of BN Bulls at Bleacher Nation. He has been the Publisher for Bulls On SI since December of the 2025-26 season. When he isn't obsessing over hoops, Elias spends his time obsessing over practically every other sport – much to his wife's dismay. He also loves strolling the streets of Chicago for the best cozy bar or restaurant to set up shop and write his next article.
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Badenoch blasts 'moaning' female Labour MPs over Burnham jobs 'quota'
Kemi Badenoch has told Labour women to earn a job in Andy Burnham's Cabinet instead of demanding they are handed jobs because of their gender.
The Tory leader lashed out today amid reports that female MPs are demanding the de-facto new prime minister introduce a 50:50 gender split 'quota' in his government.
Amid reports that former foreign secretary David Miliband is being lined up to return to the role, possibly with his brother Ed as Chancellor, one female minister also complained that Burnham could not have 'more Milibands than women' in the top posts.
But in a scathing article in the Times today Mrs Badenoch told them to 'stop moaning' and get chosen on merit instead of retreating into 'more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country'.
'There are many, many reasons why you shouldn't have any Milibands in the cabinet,' she said.
'But complaining that the boys haven't given them the right jobs or that the boys are taking all the jobs, just shows that Labour's women still don't get it.'
The idea of quotas was also attacked by Baroness Jacqui Smith, Labour's Skills Minister.
Asked by Times Radio if Mr Burnham should reserve jobs for women, she said: 'No, I think what Andy Burnham should be doing is building the very best team around him to change this country.'
A letter written by the Women's Parliamentary Labour Party has called on Mr Burnham to ensure a 50:50 split between men and women in government jobs
Amid reports that former foreign secretary David Miliband (above, right, in 2010) is being lined up to return to the role, possibly with his brother Ed as Chancellor, one female minister complained that Burnham could not have 'more Milibands than women' in the top posts
But Mrs Badenoch told them to pipe down and get chosen on merit instead of retreating into 'more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country'
A letter written by the Women's Parliamentary Labour Party and seen by the BBC has called on Mr Burnham to ensure a 50:50 split between men and women in government jobs after he succeeds Sir Keir Starmer.
'We are asking you to demonstrate this change from day one and address the toxicity and misogyny within our own party and government,' it said.
Labour has never had a female leader, while the Conservatives have had three, and Mrs Badenoch urged the government to follow its meritocratic example.
'If you run a meritocracy, then you do not have to worry about jobs for the boys,' she wrote.
'Every woman who is a Conservative MP, every woman who has ever won the leadership, has had to fight to get where she is.
'By contrast, Labour women are demanding guarantees from Burnham. But the truth is he doesn't have to give any guarantees.
'If none of Labour's women are prepared to get their hands dirty and challenge him for the leadership, their demands are toothless.'
'In fact, it's quite revealing that the women's parliamentary Labour Party has written to Burnham asking him to commit himself to at least 50 per cent female ministers.
'This has nothing to do with meritocracy. It is yet more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country.'
