If trading Nikola Vucevic or Coby White wasn’t enough evidence, the Chicago Bulls have now sounded the rebuild alarm with their latest move. According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, Chicago has sent wing Dalen Terry to the New York Knicks in exchange for Guerschon Yabusele.
Bulls flip Terry for Yabusele
The Bulls sent a fringe rotation player, 23-year-old Terry, to New York for 30-year-old Yabusele, who is only in his second NBA season since returning from a five-year EuroLeague stint. While Yabusele was drafted 16th overall in 2017 and played well for the Philadelphia 76ers in 2024–25, this isn’t a move that inspires much long-term confidence.
Nonetheless, the reasoning behind the trade is fairly obvious: the Bulls needed frontcourt depth. In recent days, Chicago has moved on from Kevin Huerter, Nikola Vucevic, and two-way wing Emanuel Miller. While Huerter and Miller aren’t true bigs, both were among the team’s larger perimeter players at 6-foot-6 and 6-foot-5, respectively. Vucevic, meanwhile, was Chicago’s primary interior presence at 6-foot-9 and 265 pounds. In return, the Bulls have added 6-foot-3 guards Jaden Ivey and Anfernee Simons, further tilting the roster toward the backcourt.
Terry isn’t much shorter than Yabusele. He stands 6-foot-6 to Yabusele’s 6-foot-7, but the difference in weight is significant. Yabusele outweighs Terry by roughly 70 pounds, giving Chicago a true power forward who can also slide to small-ball center when needed.
Rebuild signals grow louder
This move, on its own, doesn’t necessarily scream rebuild. Terry is just 23, but he averaged only 3.5 points per game over his career and struggled to carve out a consistent role in Chicago after being drafted 18th overall. More often than not, he saw the floor in mop-up minutes or when injuries forced the Bulls to dig deeper into their rotation.
But as this pattern has shown, Terry was playing on an expiring contract. The same was true for Huerter, Vucevic, and even Coby White, who was surprisingly sent to the Charlotte Hornets. Chicago’s decision not to re-sign Terry reflects the uncertainty surrounding his long-term value. On paper, a 6-foot-6, 195-pound swingman sounds intriguing, but he has made little impact across four NBA seasons.
From Chicago’s perspective, the logic is straightforward. Yabusele provides short-term frontcourt depth and remains affordable at $5.8 million next season. While he holds a player option, his modest averages of 2.7 points and 2.1 rebounds make it likely he exercises it, giving the Bulls cost-controlled depth during a transitional year.
The trade itself won’t define the Bulls’ future, and Yabusele alone won’t change their trajectory. But that’s the point. Chicago isn’t making moves to win now—it’s making moves to reset. Moving expiring contracts, adding short-term salary, and reshaping the roster around flexibility all point to the same conclusion: the rebuild may not be officially announced, but it’s already underway.