Norman Powell does not change the math for the Chicago Bulls; Nic Claxton does. After absorbing Claxton’s $23.3 million salary, the Bulls now project at about $33.0 million in maximum power, a shift that will shape how aggressively they can move once free agency opens at 5:00 p.m. CT on Tuesday.
Chicago Bulls cap math
The Bulls entered the offseason with more cap space than any other team, and that edge has already been trimmed by the Claxton move. They gave up absolutely nothing in return when they absorbed his contract into their current cap space, which makes the transaction less about the outgoing price and more about how much room remains after it.
Cap Sheets pegs the new ceiling at $33.0 million. The figure is an estimate, not a fixed promise, and the range can move again depending on what the Bulls do with Kam Jones before his contract becomes guaranteed this evening.
Kam Jones deadline
That decision creates a second layer of pressure. If the Bulls keep Jones on the books, their maximum power could land closer to $31.0 million instead of $33.0 million, a swing that matters when the team is trying to sort out how much room it has for additions and how much flexibility it wants to preserve.
Bryson Graham and Tiago Splitter are about to enter Phase II of the Chicago Bulls offseason, and this is where the roster plan gets more specific. The Bulls are expected to round out the roster in free agency after draft night, and they also have a room mid-level exception available if they choose to use it.
Phase II of the Chicago Bulls
The bigger point is simple: the Bulls started with the most cap space, then used part of that advantage to absorb Nic Claxton and his $23.3 million salary from the Brooklyn Nets in a three-team deal. Now they have to decide how much of the remaining room goes toward one major move and how much should be saved for the rest of free agency.
For the Bulls, the next step is not a wait-and-see exercise. It is a cap decision, a guarantee decision, and then a spending decision, all in the space of one Tuesday evening.
