Bulls Trade Rob Dillingham for Buddy Hield Reactions

Just got the alert on my phone pulling into the Logan Square blue line stop. We traded the Dillingham pick for Buddy Hield. My stomach just dropped. I know we need shooting, but are we really trading a potential star guard for a 31 year old specialist? It feels like another move to lock us into the 9th seed. I was actually excited for the draft for once. What does everyone think? Is AK just allergic to a real rebuild?

It's a terrible trade and anyone who says otherwise is fooling themselves. This is the most Arturas move ever. We're sacrificing a high ceiling, exciting young player for a guy who just got benched in the playoffs. We're committing to another year of the play-in tournament with DeMar and Vuc instead of building something fresh. They're just trying to sell tickets at the UC, not win anything meaningful. So frustrating.

I don't know, Rob. Dillingham is 19 and built like a middle schooler. You think he's stopping anybody at the rim? The Bulls were one of the worst three point shooting teams in the entire league. Hield fixes that overnight. You can't win with a team full of kids. You need veterans who can actually play their role. This makes us a better team tomorrow, not in five years when the kid might pan out.

Does it even matter? We're stuck in neutral either way. Hield will hit some threes and we'll still lose to the Heat in the play in game. Dillingham could have been exciting but probably wouldn't have gotten real minutes from Billy Donovan anyway. This front office has no vision. It's just shuffling deck chairs on the most mediocre ship in the NBA. I'm just tired.

You're all looking at it wrong. This isn't about winning or rebuilding. It's about money. Dillingham would've been a new guaranteed contract on the books for 4 years. Hield is on a big expiring deal. This is 100% about clearing cap space for next summer, probably so they can have a clean slate after whatever happens with LaVine. It's an accountant's trade, not a GM's trade. Classic Reinsdorf.

Reading through these, I think Jen and Oscar hit the nail on the head. Especially the money angle. I hadn't even considered that. It's just so deflating that the primary motivation is probably clearing the books a year from now instead of improving the team. Was at my local on Milwaukee Ave last night and the mood was just dead. Another year of this.