The Chicago Bulls have announced a significant assignment for the injured center Nic Claxton.
The Bulls have assigned center Nic Claxton and guard forward Dailyn Swain to their NBA G League affiliate, the Windy City Bulls.
This means that Claxton is nearing his Chicago debut after missing the start of the 2026-2027 NBA season due to a hamstring strain.
Where Did Bulls’ Nic Claxton Get His Injury?
Claxton, a sought-after center during the offseason, originally sustained the injury during training camp in early October.
Because of the injury, the Bulls center missed the entire preseason and the opening stretch of the regular season. He has recently shown significant progress, including participating in a full practice on November 1 without limitations.
The Bulls’ staff continues to take a cautious day-by-day approach with his recovery.
Notably, Claxton was briefly upgraded to questionable but was ruled out of Wednesday’s game against the New York Knicks.
Claxton joined the Bulls in July via a multi-team trade with the Brooklyn Nets and Minnesota Timberwolves. The Nets traded Claxton to clear salary cap space to acquire Julius Randle, allowing the Bulls to utilize their open cap space to absorb the final two years of Claxton’s $44 million contract.
Chicago completed the deal by sending forward Mouhamadou Gueye to facilitate the salary matching.
Claxton can help the struggling Bulls by addressing their glaring defensive and interior weaknesses following a difficult start to the season.
The Bulls have allowed a league-worst number of points per game and high efficiency in the paint. Claxton, who previously averaged 2.5 blocks per game in 2022–23 and 2.1 in 2023–24 with Brooklyn, provides the backline anchor and shot-blocking presence Chicago has lacked to start the season.
Nic Claxton Opens Up About Struggles Before Coming To Chicago
Nic Claxton struggled with dealing with limited minutes with the Brooklyn Nets last season. He is hoping to change that with the Bulls.
“Obviously, yeah, especially last year,” Claxton said on media day. “You prepare to be the best version of yourself every single night. Sometimes, if your minutes are cut or your organization has a different agenda, it can affect you. But at the end of the day, I have to be a professional and be the best version of myself.”
Claxton also opened up about expecting the trade out of Brooklyn.
“As far as the trade, I expected something to happen,” he said. “My intuition kind of [kicked in]. It was time. It was time for both side to move on, so I’m happy that it played out the way it did, and I’m happy to be here. As far as here, we’re just going to get better every day. Take it one day at a time and go from there.”
The 27-year-old Claxton is also hoping for a healthier season ahead after dealing with back issues to start his NBA career.
“Last year [back] wasn’t a problem. It’s not a problem now. I’ve figured out my body. I’ve figured out what I need to do to stay on top of it, and I’m good to go,” he said.
The Bulls are hoping Claxton will be the boost the team desperately needed to turn their season around early on.
Chicago Bulls Announce Major Decision For Injured Nic Claxton