The Chicago Bulls, heading into the offseason, were in desperate need of a big man.
With Aday Mara being the primary option in the Draft, it wasn't likely they were going to be able to address the problem with their pair of first-round selections. So they went out and swung a deal that brought them Nic Claxton at virtually no cost other than their cap space, playing a role as a third-party in the trade that sent Julius Randle to the Brooklyn Nets. They also re-signed Zach Collins on a two-year, $17 million deal with a team option.
In theory, those two pieces should be able to fill the Bulls' big man need, at least temporarily. Claxton still has major upside as a rim protector and as a complementary offensive piece in a fast-break focused attack, and Collins has enough rebounding efficiency and scoring upside to serve as a worthy backup.
But both players have availability questions. Claxton has remained relatively healthy in recent seasons, but he hasn't averaged over 30 minutes per game in his career, posting just 27.8 and 26.9 minutes per game in each of the past two seasons, respectively.
That puts the onus on Collins to not simply be available but to provide Chicago with effective minutes on a consistent basis. If he's able to do so, the Bulls' big man rotation will be solidified at least for 2026-27.
Zach Collins has a major role to play for the Bulls in 2026-27
Claxton, without a doubt, is a worthy starting center for this Chicago team. He has the experience and the upside as a scorer to help raise the floor of this roster without breaking the bank, and if he has an offensive resurgence, he can be leveraged as a trade asset when his salary number decreases next offseason. Even on a Brooklyn Nets team without much offensive structure, he managed to average 11.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 3.7 assists while shooting 57.1% from the field in 2025-26.
But Claxton alone doesn't solve the Bulls' issues at the center position.
If we're not factoring Jalen Smith heavily into the equation, Claxton's somewhat limited workload leaves Collins with at least 18 minutes per game that he'll need to take on. The Bulls' best chance at keeping Claxton healthy for the duration of the campaign is to keep him on a Deandre Ayton or Alex Sarr-type workload, meaning that Collins will need to take on a majorly important bench role for the Bulls over the course of the season.
There's at least some reason to believe he's capable of taking on that mantle.
Although he played just 10 games for Chicago last season after suffering a fracture in his left wrist and later requiring season-ending foot surgery, he's been a versatile rebounder and a somewhat efficient scorer for much of his NBA career. He averaged 5.6 rebounds on a diet of 18.4 minutes per game with the Bulls last season—leaving him with a viable total rebound percentage of 16.2. If he can maintain that mark and reliably score, say, 10-12 points per game, the center rotation suddenly holds a lot more certainty in Chicago.
If the Bulls were competing for a championship, neither Claxton nor Collins would likely present the solution they need at the center spot. But Chicago simply needs to stay afloat this season and provide Caleb Wilson and Matas Buzelis with the infrastructure they need to continue their development.
Collins is the type of player that can provide insurance in that capacity behind Claxton— as long as he's healthy and playing near the top of his game.
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