The Chicago Bulls acquired former Oklahoma star Buddy Hield and cash from the Charlotte Hornets in exchange for guard Rob Dillingham, the teams announced Monday, Sept. 28.
Chicago will be the seventh team for the 33-year-old guard as he enters his 11th NBA season, according to NBA.com. ESPN reporter Shams Charania first reported the deal on Saturday, Sept. 26.
Hield spent less than a week in Charlotte. The Hornets acquired him from the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday, Sept. 22, then flipped him to the Bulls less than a week later
Norman roots
Hield played four seasons at OU from 2012 to 2016. He earned Big 12 Player of the Year honors in each of his final two seasons. As a senior, he averaged 25 points per game and carried the Sooners to the 2016 Final Four. He capped that year by winning the Naismith Trophy as the nation's most outstanding college basketball player.
The New Orleans Pelicans selected him sixth overall in the 2016 NBA Draft. Since then he has suited up for the Pelicans, Sacramento Kings, Indiana Pacers, Philadelphia 76ers, Golden State Warriors and Atlanta Hawks before landing in Chicago.
By the numbers
Hield owns career averages of 14.5 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game with a 39.5 percent career three-point shooting mark, per Field Level Media. He has knocked down 2,201 three-pointers, 15th-most in NBA history.
His production dipped last season. He averaged 7.6 points across 51 games split between Golden State and Atlanta, according to the Associated Press.
What Chicago gets
The Bulls went 31-51 last season and are rebuilding. The franchise hired Bryson Graham as executive vice president of basketball operations in May and Tiago Splitter as head coach in June, per the AP.
Charania wrote on X that "the Hornets create a $9.6 million trade exception and take in $3 million less in salary" as part of the deal. Chicago receives cash to cover a good chunk of the salary difference.
Dillingham, 21, was the eighth overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. He averaged 9.6 points and 2.8 assists in 30 games with the Bulls last season, according to the OU Daily.
The Bulls have not announced when Hield will join the team for preseason activities.
