The Chicago Bulls announced Sunday morning they acquired guard Buddy Hield and cash considerations from the Charlotte Hornets in exchange for guard Rob Dillingham.
ESPN first reported the trade Saturday. It comes shortly before players report to training camp Monday, reflecting the willingness of the new front office to continue tweaking a malleable roster during a rebuilding season.
The Bulls acquired Dillingham at the February trade deadline during his second season in the league. The undersized guard had struggled to make an impression on the Minnesota Timberwolves after they acquired him in a draft-day trade from the San Antonio Spurs, who selected him with the No. 8 pick in 2024.
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Those challenges persisted in Chicago, where Dillingham averaged 9.6 points and 2.8 assists in 30 games without cracking the starting lineup. After the regime change at the end of last season, new executive vice president of basketball operations Bryson Graham opted not to bring Dillingham to Las Vegas for summer league, ultimately determining that the 21-year-old guard did not fit the team’s long-term picture.
At 33, Hield will bring experience to a young team whose future is anchored around young players such as 2026 first-round pick Caleb Wilson, 20, and Matas Buzelis, 21. Hield also is one of the most prolific 3-point shooters in NBA history, ranking 15th all time with 2,201 made 3s and hitting at a 39.5% clip for his career.
The No. 6 pick in the 2016 draft, Hield has become a journeyman in the NBA; the Bulls will be his seventh team, and that doesn’t include the Hornets, who acquired him from the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday in a deal for Dorian Finney-Smith.
Hield has averaged 14.5 points and 2.4 assists for his career, with a high of 20.7 points per game in 2018-19 with the Sacramento Kings. Last season he averaged 7.6 points and 1.4 assists in 51 games for the Hawks and Golden State Warriors, who traded him to Atlanta at the February deadline. He is entering the third season of a four-year, $37.8 million contract.
The Bulls still have one open spot on their roster entering training camp.