The Chicago Bulls didn’t just acquire a defensive center Monday. They brought in a player their new head coach already knows inside out.
Nic Claxton is headed to Chicago as part of a three-team trade that sends Julius Randle and a 2026 first-round pick to Brooklyn. But the real subtext here involves Tiago Splitter, the Bulls’ newly hired head coach, and his history with Claxton dating back to their shared time with the Nets.
K.C. Johnson of Chicago Sports Network pointed out Tuesday that Splitter worked as a Nets assistant from 2019 through 2023. That lines up exactly with Claxton’s first four seasons in the league. So Splitter was in the gym with him, drilling the fundamentals that turned a second-round pick into one of the NBA’s more reliable rim protectors.
That familiarity matters for a few reasons. The Bulls are essentially hitting reset after moving on from former executive Artūras Karnišovas and former head coach Billy Donovan. New front office boss Bryson Graham is reshaping the roster. Having a player who already knows what Splitter expects on both ends could speed up the transition.
Claxton entered the NBA as Brooklyn’s No. 31 pick in 2019. He was raw back then, skinny, still figuring out how to use his length. Splitter, a former NBA big man himself, helped mold him into a guy who can switch on the perimeter, block shots, and finish above the rim. That kind of mentorship isn’t something you can just plug into a new system overnight.
The trade itself was more complicated than a simple swap. Brooklyn got Randle and Minnesota’s No. 28 pick in 2026. Minnesota received the No. 33 pick this year. Chicago sent forward Mo Gueye to the Timberwolves to balance the deal.
For Chicago, the frontcourt was a glaring hole. The Bulls needed length, athleticism, and someone who could anchor a defense that often got shredded in the paint last season. Claxton checks those boxes. He averaged 9.1 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 2.1 blocks per game last year. Not flashy numbers but the kind of consistent interior presence that lets guards play more aggressively on the perimeter.
Splitter’s connection to Claxton might not have been the headline when the trade broke. But it’s the kind of behind-the-scenes detail that explains why the Bulls targeted him specifically. They didn’t just need a center. They needed a center who could hit the ground running with a coaching staff still learning their own personnel.
Whether Claxton becomes a long-term piece or a one-year rental depends on how he fits in Chicago’s new system. But the early signs suggest the Bulls are betting that familiarity will pay off faster than starting from scratch.
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