Report: Bulls trading Dillingham to Hornets for Hield, cash

The Chicago Bulls are trading guard Rob Dillingham to the Charlotte Hornets for guard Buddy Hield and cash, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania. Charania also reported that Hield reached Charlotte in a trade from the Atlanta Hawks, that the Hornets will create a $9.6 million trade exception and take on three million dollars less in salary, and that Chicago will receive cash to offset a large portion of the salary difference.

Dillingham played 65 games for Chicago in 2025-26, all off the bench, averaging 6.3 points, 2.0 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 14.9 minutes per game. His 46.9% true shooting percentage came with a 23.1% usage rate. His Keel Impact, which measures the points per 100 possessions a player adds versus an average player, was -3.4, ranking 366th of 379 players with 500 minutes or more.

Hield’s 2025-26 data with Atlanta shows 7.6 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 16.1 minutes across 51 games, including three starts. He posted a 56.8% true shooting percentage and a 20.1% usage rate. His -1 Keel Impact ranked 284th of 379 players with 500 minutes or more. Atlanta finished 46-36 with a +2.3 net rating, 12th in the NBA; its offense ranked 14th and its defense 11th.

Chicago went 31-51 in 2025-26, with a -5 net rating that ranked 22nd of 30 teams. The Bulls ranked 24th offensively and 22nd defensively. Charlotte went 44-38 and ranked eighth with a +4.9 net rating, meaning it was 4.9 points per 100 possessions better than its opponents; the Hornets ranked seventh on offense and 10th on defense.