The Charlotte Hornets’ latest roster move may have opened a door the Chicago Bulls ought to notice.
Charlotte agreed to send Dorian Finney-Smith to the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for Buddy Hield, Ryan Nembhard, and cash considerations, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania. With that deal, the Hornets are left needing to cut their active roster from 19 players to 15 by Oct. 19, 2026, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks. That kind of squeeze gives a rebuilding team like Chicago a clean chance to act.
One player who fits that opening is Pat Connaughton.
Connaughton would bring an immediate boost as a perimeter shooter, but his value for the Bulls goes beyond the arc. He also carries championship experience from Milwaukee’s 2020-21 title run, which matters for a Chicago rebuild that is trying to build a stronger culture under Bryson Graham.
The Bulls already have Norman Powell in the mix, and another veteran with that kind of résumé would add more shooting and another voice in the locker room. Connaughton also brings some useful defensive work off the bench, having averaged 1.3 steals per 36 minutes for Charlotte in the 2025-26 season.
There’s also the price tag. Connaughton is set to enter the 2026-27 season on a $3.8 million salary, which makes him a practical target if Chicago wants to fill its 15th active roster spot without overcommitting.
Of course, the Bulls could also choose to do nothing for now. They could keep the open roster spot and hold onto their $9.4 million room exception, then use those assets later in the 2026-27 regular season.
That route would give Graham and head coach Tiago Splitter more time to evaluate the team. After half a season, they’d have a better read on what they actually need, with the hope that a move at the February 2027 trade deadline would be about more than short-term flexibility and would bring in someone who can matter for the long haul.
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