The Charlotte Hornets are trading veteran guard Buddy Hield to the Chicago Bulls in exchange for guard Rob Dillingham and cash considerations, according to a report by ESPN’s Shams Charania on September 26, 2026. The deal marks the second time in a week that Hield has been traded, following his acquisition by Charlotte from Atlanta, and sends Dillingham to his third team since February’s trade deadline.
Transaction Details and Roster Management
In the multi-party mechanics of the transaction, the Chicago Bulls take on Hield’s salary of $9.7MM this season, alongside a 2027/28 player option worth $10.1MM, according to Bobby Marks of ESPN. To help offset the financial difference in salaries, the Hornets are sending cash considerations to Chicago. Keith Smith of Spotrac notes that the addition temporarily pushes the Bulls over the salary cap, though the franchise remains $34.6MM away from luxury tax territory.
https://x.com/ShamsCharania/status/2103973547215593795
For Charlotte, the deal provides financial relief as the franchise works to trim payroll. Yossi Gozlan of The Third Apron observes that the Hornets entered the sequence carrying 17 fully guaranteed contracts, leaving them facing dead money obligations to reach the mandatory 15-man regular season roster limit. By executing this trade, Charlotte absorbs Dillingham’s rookie-scale contract into an existing trade exception while generating a new $9.7MM TPE for Hield, dropping the team’s financial standing to $25.6MM below the tax.
Player Profiles and Team Fit
Buddy Hield enters his eleventh NBA season with his seventh different franchise. Last season, the 33-year-old sharpshooter appeared in 51 combined games for the Golden State Warriors and Atlanta Hawks, shooting 34.9 percent from beyond the arc while averaging 7.6 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per contest. Over his career, Hield maintains a 39.5 percent success rate on 7.3 three-point attempts per game, providing the Bulls with immediate floor-spacing depth off the bench.
Rob Dillingham arrives in Charlotte on his rookie contract, which pays $6.9MM this season with an $8.8MM team option for the following year that carries a November 2 deadline. Selected eighth overall in the 2024 NBA Draft by Minnesota, Dillingham was later dealt to Chicago in February as part of the Ayo Dosunmu trade. While he averaged 9.6 points in 21.5 minutes across 30 appearances for the Bulls, KC Johnson of Chicago Sports Network reports that he did not project to hold a long-term role under the team’s new front office. In Charlotte, Dillingham reunites with forward Naz Reid, with whom he shared a strong bond during their time together with the Timberwolves, as highlighted by Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic.
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