Chicago Bulls center Nic Claxton is out for at least two weeks after tweaking his hamstring, head coach Tiago Splitter announced on Monday. The injury sidelines the key offseason acquisition for the entire preseason schedule, which begins Wednesday against the Phoenix Suns. Claxton will be reevaluated on October 19, just two days before the Bulls' regular season opener in Toronto on October 21.
The Bulls have five preseason games scheduled from October 7 to October 16. Claxton will miss all of them, including matchups against the Memphis Grizzlies, Denver Nuggets, Milwaukee Bucks, and Minnesota Timberwolves. This is a major setback for a player the team was counting on to solidify its interior defense and rebounding. With Claxton out, the starting center role for the preseason will fall to either Jalen Smith or Zach Collins. The other will come off the bench. Two-way rookie Tobe Awaka, an undrafted free agent from Arizona, is now projected as the third-string center.
Coach Splitter confirmed the starting lineup for Wednesday's preseason opener will feature Josh Giddey, Norman Powell, Matas Buzelis, and Caleb Wilson alongside one of those centers.
Executive vice president of basketball operations Bryson Graham made acquiring Claxton his first major move this offseason. The 27-year-old arrived in a three-team trade with the Minnesota Timberwolves and Brooklyn Nets in June. In the deal, the Bulls used their cap space to absorb Claxton's contract, which was seen as a salary dump to facilitate Julius Randle's move to Brooklyn. Chicago didn't surrender significant assets.
Claxton played 69 games for the Nets last season, averaging 11.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 1.1 blocks per game while shooting 57.1% from the field. His production has dipped from his career-best 2022-23 campaign, where he put up 12.6 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 2.5 blocks per game on a remarkable 70.5% shooting. He is under contract with the Bulls for two more seasons, set to earn $23.3 million this year and $21.1 million next before becoming an unrestricted free agent in 2028.
While Claxton has dealt with back issues in the past, his hamstring problems have been less severe. In the 2024-25 season, he missed one game on two separate occasions due to hamstring tightness. Two years prior, the same issue caused a three-game absence. His longest injury-related layoff was 12 games back in the 2021-22 season. The Bulls' medical staff will be cautious with this soft tissue injury. A two-week reevaluation window doesn't guarantee a return to play, so his status for the October 21 opener remains uncertain.
This injury tests the Bulls' frontcourt depth immediately. Fans hoping to see the new-look lineup, which you can explore on our roster page, will have to wait. The team's ability to weather this early absence could set the tone for their season, especially after finishing the previous campaign with consecutive losses to Orlando and Dallas.
