Bryson Graham's First Big Bulls Trade is Official

It's about dang time!

On June 22, the Chicago Bulls made their first trade of the Bryson Graham era. The new executive vice president of basketball operations got in on a three-team blockbuster that sent Julius Randle to the Brooklyn Nets. The Bulls added big man Nic Claxton via the transaction, giving up practically nothing in the process.

Chicago was able to pull off the trade because of their significant cap space. Claxton's $23.3 million salary for this season would simply slide right into their available sum, essentially acting as a free-agent pick-up. It was a pretty savvy move for the new front office, especially when considering the obvious hole they had at the position.

Nevertheless, it was taking quite some time for the move to become official. Most trades that took place during or in the days leading up to free agency had to wait until the NBA's moratorium period ended on July 6 to go through the league office. The Bulls had to wait even longer for this specific deal, as they had to include Mouhamadou Gueye's contract.

Again, the Bulls essentially gave up nothing in this trade, as Gueye wasn't going to return to the organization next year. But the NBA rules required them to include something, so they chose for that to be his non-guaranteed contract, which could not be traded until July 9.

This brought us to July 10, when the Bulls FINALLY announced their new starting center. All this time opened the door for the trade to either expand or take a different shape. To be sure, it mostly remained the same, but the three parties were able to bring Charlotte into the process to take on Gueye, making it a four-team deal overall.

In other words, the long road has finally come to an end. Claxton is now officially a member of the Chicago Bulls, thus completing Bryson Graham's first-ever trade as front office leader. With that in mind, it feels like the right time to review where the roster currently stands, as well as reassess the trade following the Bulls' other free agency moves.

Chicago Bulls Roster

Josh Giddey – $25.0 million
Nic Claxton – $23.3 million
Norman Powell – $21.5 million
Patrick Williams – $18.0 million
Isaac Okoro – $11.8 million
Caleb Wilson – $10.7 million
Jalen Smith – $9.4 million
Zach Collins – $8.5 million
Tre Jones – $8.0 million
Rob Dillingham – $6.9 million
Matas Buzelis – $5.7 million
Noa Essengue – $5.7 million
Dailyn Swain – $5.0 million
Leonard Miller – $2.4 million

For those keeping track, the Nic Claxton deal officially puts the Chicago Bulls at 14 contracts for the 2026-27 campaign. This means they currently have one roster spot left to fill before late-October, and they have the $9.4 million room exception left to do just that.

Claxton will be the second-highest paid player on this Bulls team behind Josh Giddey. While that may feel a tad strange on the surface, it more so speaks to the flexibility that this organization continues to have. It's rare that someone making $23.3 million sits second on the cap sheet – let alone that someone making $25.0 million is first.

Overall, what Graham has done here is kick the can down the road. While he went into this summer with extreme spending power, he's still clearly figuring out what he wants this roster to look like and who is worth building around long-term.

Claxton likely will not fall under the latter category, as he only has one more year left on his current deal. Speaking of which ...

Reassessing the Nic Claxton Trade

Apr 3, 2026; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Brooklyn Nets center Nic Claxton (33) dunks the ball against the Atlanta Hawks during the first half at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

When the Nic Claxton trade first came through the wire, I handed it a generous A-. The fact that Chicago gave up nothing for a capable starting center felt like a steal, especially when considering they still had $30+ million in cap space to work through.

Now that free agency is mostly in the rearview mirror, however, the dopamine rush isn't nearly as high. Does that mean I suddenly find it to be a bad piece of business? Not at all, but I'd probably lower my grade to a B.

I'm still a big fan of being opportunistic. Rarely do you add a player who could be as good as Claxton without giving up anything in return. Not to mention, there seems to be a clear initiative for the Bulls to establish a physical and defensive-minded identity. Even if the win-loss column leaves a lot to be desired this season (and it likely will), Claxton can help head coach Tiago Splitter set the right tone.

We also can't rule out a world where Claxton does return to the version of himself we saw a few years back. He was among the NBA's elite rim protectors and a wildly efficient finisher. If Splitter can tap back into those skills, the Bulls could suddenly have a fantastic trade chip on their hands – let alone someone who could be worth keeping around longer term.

With that said, Claxton has struggled over the last couple of years. He hasn't been nearly the same around the rim, both in terms of scoring and rebounding. Is it possible that simply playing for the tank Nets took a toll on him? Sure. But it's not like he's going to be thrust into a winning environment in Chicago. If anything, it just seems like he's possibly lost a step athletically due to some lingering injury troubles.

One also can't help but wonder if the Bulls could have done something a little more creative with their money. They played it relatively safe, adding another veteran in Norman Powell and re-signing Zach Collins to similar two-year deals (though both of those have team options). Should they have possibly gone after one of the current restricted free agents? Could they have been more aggressive in searching for a salary-dump opportunity?

It's also hard not to look at the deals made for players like Isaiah Stewart and Isaiah Joe and wonder if the Bulls should have gone that route. Both were added for a package of second-rounders and are on a cheaper deal than Claxton. Plus, they are each younger and would have still filled a big roster void.

Shoulda, coulda, woulda. I get it. At the end of the day, it's still a fine trade for a Bulls team that is still very much a work in progress. Does it feel like as big a steal as it initially did? Not necessarily, but we can still safely declare a better move than most of what we saw from the previous regime.

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