00:00I like this because Claxton, while he's not a top-level center,
00:05he is a traditional rim-running, rim-defending center,
00:09which is something that the Bulls haven't had in years.
00:14I've been asking for the Bulls to get more rim protection
00:16basically since they lost Daniel Gafford.
00:20It's been 84 years.
00:22What's great about this is that they have him for the next two seasons in theory,
00:27and then that also means he's a guy that they could move and get something back from
00:31come trade deadline, not this coming season, but the next season.
00:35And Claxton has $23 million and $21 million left on his deal,
00:40and so that would leave the Bulls with roughly about $30 million of cap space this summer.
00:46They've got money to burn, but I think there's a bigger discussion to be had here
00:51as far as already you're kind of getting different opinions on this
00:55from people saying, oh, Claxton's overpaid, that's why the Bulls got him.
00:59But at the same time, I think you're seeing a change.
01:03Already we're seeing Bryson Graham and the regime say, this matters to us, right?
01:08This is a trade that they get done before the draft for a reason.
01:11I don't know what their final roster obviously is going to look like going into next season,
01:15but if they had to play a game today, they have guys that can play a basketball game.
01:19They have a center. They have a point guard.
01:21They have a wing. They have other guards.
01:25They have a basketball team.
01:26They have many guards.
01:28And people are like, oh, well, are they going to be any good?
01:31Are they going to win 30 games? Are they going to win 35 games, 25 games?
01:36Remember, tanking as we knew it, Layla, is over
01:39because there's a penalty now for finishing in the bottom three in the league,
01:43which is usually where somebody from the East ends up.
01:46So Bryson Graham has to retool and develop players and make the most of his draft picks
01:51while at the same time make sure that there is a competent basketball team on the floor
01:56that doesn't put you at the very bottom.
