Is Nic Claxton the ANSWER at Center for the Chicago Bulls?

Is Nic Claxton the ANSWER at Center for the Chicago Bulls?

Nick Claxton’s name remains popular among many different trade rumors and trade proposals throughout the desert of the NBA’s late off season. Could the Chicago Bulls be a good fit for Nick Claxton and could they find a way to bring him in? The uh the 26-year-old has three years remaining on his current contract. The Bulls uh have lots of toolsy wings combo forwards. Obviously Vu still the stalwart starting center coming into this season on the final year of his deal but AK could be maybe looking to make some roster tweaks and everybody’s talking about Nick Claxton everybody before I toss it to go big Dave just generally you like Nick Claxton as a player you like Nick Claxton fit with the Bulls potentially uh I’ve liked Nick Claxton ever since he came come into the league always thought he fit well on the Bulls the athleticism that he plays with you know the Bulls the offense that they run. Just that transition getting up and down the floor. But most importantly, he finally gives the Bulls that defense uh in the middle. Just somebody to be um a deterrent down there. Like teams will have to think twice. There will be no easy layups going against a guy like Nick Klex. And with that kind of athleticism and that kind of length, he’s going to be blocking shots down there and starting to break for guys like Josh Giddy and Modis Misellis as they, you know, get the run out with Kobe White. So that’s why I always looked at him as somebody that could fit even before they had a guy like Josh Giddy. I was like, “No, bro. He he fits kind of perfectly with what you want to do as a team.” And his name is just continuing to pop up. Go. Yeah. I mean, he’s a good player. He’s had a couple of down years, I would say, relative to uh his best season, which was 22 23. Um last year, 10 points, 7 and a half rebounds, 1.4 blocks in 27 minutes per game. I would expect, you know, as he enters his age 26 season, uh, with three years left on his contract that he could get back to that level. I do think that athletic rim protecting centers do tend to decline a little bit earlier than other players uh, just in terms of that like arc, but 25 million on the books for the upcoming 2025 26 season for his age 26 year. Um and then 23.15 million in 2627 and 20.94 million in 2728. So uh declining deal descending contract that’s always a positive team friendly in that sense. Um and then just from a fit perspective like it just comes down to like what identity do the Bulls want to play with at center and we’ve talked a lot about uh the spacing and the playmaking element that Nicole Vousvich brings. Um, I know that he has disappointed a lot of fans, but like he still does shoot it. He he spaces the floor. He brings opposing bigs away from the basket. Uh, and he keeps the play alive. He keeps the advantage alive and he’s a good facilitator. Do they want to now move to yes, a much better rim protector, a much better defensive player, but somebody that’s going to be a little bit more limited? I mean, Claxton shot 23% on threes last year, has never really taken him at volume. He’s a 50. His volume is essentially zero. his his uh you know he’s a 50% free throw shooter so he’s not somebody that like adds that floor spacing element and while I think he gives you vertical spacing I do think you would lose something there but um at the end of the day like if the talent is available and he’s on a good contract and the Bulls need to reorient their team around defense I do think he could be not only a good option but maybe one of the few getable guys yeah and he’s also a guy like you mentioned those first three seasons like he was you know didn’t play a lot I mean but the last three 76 71 70 I just think the right kind of opportunity like here with the Bulls, he could definitely thrive. Yeah. No, I I would totally agree with that. So, let’s maybe take a look at some of the uh trade scenarios here. Katie, if you can pull up the old trade machine on fans.com, my favorite place in the entire world. Ghost world. We got the Bulls. We got the Nets. And I think it’s just important to look at what the Nets situation is here going forward. Um they have a ton of space of cap space going into next season. They’ve got almost no long-term money on their books. They obviously traded for Michael Porter Jr. trading away Cam Johnson, which added some money, but they’re still going to be one of the teams that, you know, is probably uh not going to be like big fish hunting in terms of free agency next year, but more likely will be a team that takes on bad contracts for draft picks. So the trade I had come up with and you guys can rust me for it if you want was Patrick Williams going to the Nets as salary. So this this is longerterm money for Nick Claxton who’d be coming back for the Bulls. Um longerterm money for the Nets to take on but uh less money next year. So that actually opens up some more cap space, allows them to take in a young player who maybe they could try to rehab. They did the same thing with Zire Williams there that you can see from the Grizzlies. Um, they’ve done it with Terrence, man. Like, they’re willing to take on contracts uh and longerterm money with all the space that they have, but what they want in return is picks. So, let’s go to the picks tab here for the Bulls, and we’re going to give them the Portland pick, and we’re going to give them two future second round picks as well. Uh, 28 and 30. Um, I don’t think this is quite enough. I I also don’t think that the Bulls should be willing to give up an additional unprotected pick of their own. Yeah. What do you guys think about this value in terms of uh sending out picks, sending out Patrick, getting off of Patrick’s money, but taking on a little bit more money? I think if I’m the Nets, I don’t love this deal unless they think they can fix Patrick Williams, then it’s more enticing. Uh I don’t want to throw another pick on top of the Portland one. Like an additional first, like you were saying, if you’re the Bulls, if if if Brooklyn says that’s not rich enough, couple of seconds, whatever. Aka He throws those in everyway. Is it is it enticing though for the Nets because you know they’re a team that’s not really you know trying to win or trying to get to the draft. Is it enticing for them in that kind of way of we still have time to see or if he can fit in you know if we what we’re trying to do? The other part of the question is do the Nets think the Blazers are going to be good or bad? How valuable is that pick in their eyes? I mean I think like we’ve talked about before this Blazer I think this is the time to trade the Blazers pick. They just traded for uh Drew Holiday. They just got Damen Lillard. This is a team that clearly wants to make the playoffs. If it’s not this year, it could be next year. Yeah. And even if they do make the playoffs, it’s not going to be a they’re not going to be a top four seed. It’s going to be a pick in the late teens. Um or, you know, just outside the lottery. So, the value or the upside on that pick, it’s not going to be a top 10 pick, but I do think that there could be some value there. And that’s why I think the Bulls should capitalize on that. Now, this trade, honestly, I wouldn’t make it for the Bull. I get his point, you know what I mean? As far as the Portland pick, you know what I mean? them um trying to make the playoffs, trying to win, do those things like that. So, the value might be at its peak right now. So, you might want to get rid of it for like that. So, I get that aspect, but man, I just saw a bunch of picks in Patrick Williams go out for Nick Claxton. And as much as I like Nick Claxton, it’s all those picks that went out that just made me I don’t know if I want to give all that up for Nick Claxton depending on if how you feel about him like that. And I do like him. There’s nothing wrong with the player, I would say. But when it was just him and Patrick Williams in a pick, I was like, “Okay, cool.” But when he said threw in the extra two, I was like, “Ah, they’re seconds.” I know they’re seconds. I know. If I’m the Bulls, I’m doing this straight. Yeah. I would do this if the I’m the Bulls, but I tend to agree with Matt that like I just don’t think this is enough for the Nets. I think they’d want They want more. I think they want another first. Yeah. And that’s was why they’re negotiating with AK, so of course they want more. They think they can get more. You would give up the two two first and two seconds. I would not give up a second. I would give up the Portland pick and two seconds. I wouldn’t give up an additional first on top of the Portland pick. Okay. What if it was I would assume and Patrick Williams, you’re not giving up. You’re you’re moving on. You’re right. That’s a win. That’s a winning part of that trade for the Bulls. You’re 100% correct, man. What if you added like a young player like I sumu to the mix? Like for me, I don’t think he do this because I because I don’t think the Bulls should add another draft pick and I don’t think this is enough for the Nets. So maybe a player like IO helps bridge the gap. maybe they want to get off of that money altogether and you could throw Vouch or Zack Collins or Kevin Herder their way um so that they could just create more cap space next year rather than taking on Patrick’s long-term money. I think there’s other options here, but ultimately I just don’t know if that’s going to bridge the gap. I think they’ll want and probably be able to get a second first round pick from a different

The CHGO Bulls crew discuss whether Nic Claxton would be a good trade target for the Chicago Bulls. Would Claxton be the right change after Nikola Vucevic’s time in Chicago? Plus, who could the Bulls send to the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for the center? Matt Peck, Big Dave, and Will Gottlieb discuss trade packages surrounding Patrick Williams, draft picks, and Ayo Dosunmu.

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