If last night raised questions about the Bulls’ direction, this morning answered them. The Chicago Bulls are officially in the middle of a full-blown rebuild.
Bulls trade Ayo Dosunmu
According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, the Bulls have now parted ways with Ayo Dosunmu, sending the combo guard and Julian Phillips to the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for Rob Dillingham, Leonard Miller, and four second-round draft picks.
This one comes as more of a shock. One day before the trade deadline, the Bulls traded Coby White to the Charlotte Hornets for Collin Sexton, Ousmane Dieng, and a collection of second-round picks. That move wasn’t necessarily the savviest, but it felt inevitable that Chicago would eventually move on from White.
Dosunmu, however, was widely viewed as a long-term fit in the Windy City. The 26-year-old guard is in the midst of a career-best season, averaging 15.0 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game while shooting 51.4 percent from the field and 45.1 percent from three—production that made him look more like a building block than a trade chip.
While White’s scoring and assist numbers carried more weight, he wasn’t as efficient as Dosunmu, and his looming contract was expected to be far more expensive. Dosunmu’s lower-usage, 3-and-D-style game and more manageable next deal made him a cleaner fit alongside Josh Giddey, making his departure far more puzzling.
Bulls commit to the long-term rebuild
Nothing is off the table anymore: a rebuild is officially underway in the Windy City. The Bulls prioritized roster flexibility and draft picks over investing in Dosunmu as their starting shooting guard of the future, making the team’s direction clearer than ever.
Getting Dillingham and Miller is intriguing, but far from game-changing. Dillingham’s draft pedigree as the former ninth overall pick still carries some weight, yet he has yet to make a significant NBA impact. Over two seasons and 84 games, the 6-foot-2 guard has averaged 4.0 points and 1.9 assists per game while shooting 39.8 percent from the field and 34.6 percent from three.
Miller brings some size at 6-foot-10 and 220 pounds, but in theory, he’s not all that different from Phillips. The two forwards have slightly different skill sets, but both are former second-round picks in their third season who have yet to carve out a consistent role. It seems Chicago simply wanted a different look with Miller added to the roster, especially ironic given they traded his older brother, Emanuel, just days earlier.
All in all, the return is far from transformative. The Bulls are taking a swing on Dillingham while loading up on draft capital, adding nine second-round picks over the past week to bring their total from five to 14. The strategy is starting to take shape, but the actual plan still feels unfinished. That said, 14 second-rounders is nothing to scoff at.
Trading Dosunmu was the moment of no return. With Dillingham, Miller, and four more second-round picks now in the fold, the Bulls have made it clear: this is a rebuild, not a retool. The blueprint may still be hazy, and the results years away, but the direction is unmistakable. Chicago is betting on the future, and there’s no going back.