The Chicago Bulls made an unexpected move just two days before Media Day, sending guard Rob Dillingham to the Charlotte Hornets for veteran sharpshooter Buddy Hield and cash considerations, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.
It’s the kind of trade that landed with a jolt. Chicago had seemed set on using the preseason to evaluate what it already had, but this deal points in a different direction: building a more functional group around its young wings and making the roster fit better right now.
Bryson Graham, the organization’s new executive vice president of basketball operations, is now up to his second deal since taking over. His first came when he added big man Nic Claxton in a multi-team transaction that cost the Bulls nothing in return. This one follows a similar logic, even if the names and circumstances are very different.
Hield gives Chicago exactly what it has been missing - shooting. The Bulls have lacked reliable depth on the perimeter, and Hield arrives with a long track record of knocking down threes, having hit nearly 40.0 percent of his career attempts on 7.2 tries per game. For a young locker room, that kind of veteran presence carries real value.
Still, there’s a clear argument against it. Dillingham is only 21 and already in his third NBA season.
He was the No. 8 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, came to Chicago from the Minnesota Timberwolves at the 2025-26 trade deadline, and may simply have needed more runway to show what he can do. He didn’t make much of an impact once he started getting steadier minutes with the Bulls, and that apparently was enough for Graham and company to move on.
The financial side also matters here. Dillingham is owed $6.9 million this season, with an $8.8 million player option for 2027-28.
Hield is owed $9.7 million in 2026-27 and has a player option for $10.1 million in 2027-28. So while this isn’t a massive money swing, Chicago no longer has control over Hield’s future the way it did with Dillingham.
Graham’s history may have played into the decision. He was with the Atlanta Hawks last season when they acquired Buddy Hield and Jonathan Kuminga from the Warriors in the Kristaps Prozingis trade.
The Hornets then moved Hield only days ago in a minor deal involving Dorian Finney-Smith. Graham clearly saw enough of Hield’s value in Atlanta to believe he could help this Bulls group, even at 33 years old.
The fit is obvious. Chicago still needs proven shooting in its backcourt, and that matters while the team tries to develop Matas Buzelis and Caleb Wilson.
It also matters with the Bulls now aiming to stay out of the NBA’s bottom three, since those teams face worse lottery odds. Hield should help space the floor for the young wings and give the team a higher baseline every night.
So yes, it’s a surprise to see the Bulls move off a 21-year-old for a journeyman. But the message is hard to miss: Chicago is prioritizing Wilson, Buzelis, and even Josh Giddey, and Hield should make that job easier than Dillingham did.
There’s also a chance this becomes more than a short-term fit. Hield has repeatedly drawn interest from teams for a reason, and if he performs well, he could become a useful trade chip by the deadline.
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