Dillingham out, Hield in — Chicago wants shooters, not projects

The Bulls traded Rob Dillingham to Charlotte on Saturday for Buddy Hield and cash. Clean and quick. Chicago gets one of the more reliable catch-and-shoot guards in the league; the Hornets get a young guard with upside they can develop at their own pace.

The move makes sense when you look at what's already in the backcourt. Coby White led the team at 18.0 PPG last season. Norman Powell arrived in July on a two-year deal. Tre Jones shot 55.6% from the field. That's a lot of guard minutes accounted for, and what was missing wasn't another young piece to grow — it was someone who could space the floor right now, without a learning curve. Hield has been doing exactly that for years.

The offseason has been methodical in this way. Claxton for the interior, Powell for perimeter scoring and defense, Hield for spacing. Each move addresses something specific. The question I keep coming back to is depth and health — Giddey and Claxton spent stretches of the summer on day-to-day lists, and a backcourt that looks complete on paper can thin out fast. Hield helps with that too; he doesn't need the ball to be useful.

Training camp opens with a roster that looks meaningfully different from the one that went 31-52. Whether it holds together is another matter.