The Chicago Bulls are already in motion less than 24 hours before a potentially defining NBA draft night for the rebuilding franchise.
The Bulls were part of a three-team trade Monday with the Brooklyn Nets and Minnesota Timberwolves, sources confirmed to the Tribune, acquiring center Nic Claxton from the Nets. The Bulls are sending forward Mouhamadou Gueye to Minnesota, and the Timberwolves will send forward Julius Randle and the No. 28 pick in this week’s draft to Brooklyn in exchange for the No. 33 pick, ESPN reported.
Although the deal was struck Monday night, the teams can’t officially sign the paperwork until July 6, when a moratorium on free-agent signings and trades will be lifted.
Adding Claxton, 27, answers key questions for the Bulls in the post after the previous front office traded longtime center Nikola Vučević at the deadline. Although the Bulls have been content with backup center Jalen Smith’s contributions as a role player, the current frontcourt is notably thin, especially if they don’t re-sign Zach Collins.
The No. 31 pick in the 2019 draft out of Georgia, the 6-foot-11 Claxton started for the Nets the last four seasons and averaged 11.7 points, 6.9 rebounds and 1.1 blocked shots in 2025-26. He averages 1.6 blocks for his career, including a career-best 2.5 in 2022-23, when he finished second in the league.
Claxton is limited in key areas of his game — most notably lacking any outside shooting threat — but he adds depth and versatility in the pick-and-roll. His father, Charles Claxton Jr., was also a second-round draft pick in 1994 and played three games for the Boston Celtics in 1995-96.
Gueye appeared in two games for the Bulls, scoring eight points with three rebounds and one steal. He started the 2025-26 season with the G League’s Windy City Bulls before getting signed to an NBA contract in April to finish the season.
This trade is part of a purposeful approach by executive vice president of basketball operations Bryson Graham, who has voiced since his introductory news conference a willingness to utilize the Bulls’ extensive cap space to facilitate trades and improve the team’s long-term future.
Claxton is entering the third season of a four-year, $97 million deal, which leaves the Bulls with a little more than $30 million in cap space.
This is a crucial first step in a busy week for the Bulls, who have the Nos. 4 and 15 picks in Tuesday’s draft.
More Top Picks Water Filters