The Chicago Bulls traded Rob Dillingham to get Buddy Hield and cash from the Charlotte Hornets. It was a bargain price for a 39.5 percent career 3-point shooter, but Chicago will quickly find out why. Hield can shoot it with the best of them, but the on-court negatives outweigh the positives. He is a subpar defender and won’t be making plays beyond his buckets.
These issues are the reason his minutes dipped for three straight years. The Warriors needed his scoring and offensive punch last season, but Hield had an inconsistent role and multiple DNP-CDs before being traded at the deadline. It is easy to see why. The Warriors had a negative net rating with Hield on the floor and were 4.7 points per 100 possessions better without him. The 6’4 sharpshooter barely played for the Hawks after the trade for the same reason.
Hield was traded twice this offseason. He has just $3.1 million of his salary is guaranteed for next season and multiple teams were eager to send him packing. The Bulls hope he is more than a tradeable contract, but they will quickly find out why teams keep moving on. Hield is a net negative when he’s on the floor.
Buddy Hield's defense creates problems
Hield creates issues for his team defensively. He has posted a negative defensive box plus-minus and a negative D LeBron in each of his ten seasons in the NBA. The 6’4 wing cannot guard on the ball, so his team has to try to hide him on the easiest matchup. Still, Hield is an easy target for any opposing point guard to try to attack.
The 33-year-old is past his peak, so his defense will remain a problem. Stephen Curry loved playing with Hield, but that wasn’t enough to keep him in Golden State. The Warriors realized the same thing the Pelicans, Kings, Pacers, and 76ers did. Hield’s shot-making and personality don’t outweigh his defensive issues.
The Bulls are rebuilding, but have to avoid the bottom three after the NBA’s lottery reform. They need shooting around their young talent to make things easier and win some games.
Bulls need more shooting to help young players grow
Chicago added Norman Powell, Nic Claxton, and Zach Collins in the offseason to help them win. The Bulls finished 19th in 3-point percentage, despite being sixth in attempts last season. They changed coaches, but the franchise simply needs to shoot better. Caleb Wilson made just seven 3-pointers at UNC last season, so the rookie isn’t helping the Bulls' shooting.
Bryson Graham increased the team’s flexibility by trading for Hield. Dillingham didn’t have interest around the league after his early career struggles. Chicago hopes they can rehab Hield’s value and get a second-round pick for him at the deadline. He will get shots whenever he is on the floor, but it will be everything else that determines the interest around the NBA.
The Bulls need shooting, but Buddy Love won’t solve the problems.
Buddy Hield isn’t the answer for the Bulls
Hield’s team has been worse with him on the floor for three straight years. It is why he went from playing over 25 minutes per game to 16.1 last season. Hield was out of the rotation entirely for stretches on two teams looking to make the playoffs. The Warriors and Hawks both decided they were better without Hield.
Hield is set to make $9.6 million this season. He won’t return anywhere near that value, but could be a key salary-matcher in a deadline trade. The Bulls should try to rehab his value. Teams likely won’t fall for it, but shooting is always at a premium.
The Bulls will be worse with Hield in the game, and head coach Tiago Splitter will be forced pull him off the floor after a brief stint. On those nights, his defense is hurting the team worse than any offensive contributions he could make. It won’t be news. The 76ers benched him in the 2024 playoffs for the same reason beyond last year’s woes.
The Chicago Bulls are in the early stages of a rebuild. They just drafted Caleb Wilson and hope to help him blossom into a superstar. It will take time. The Bulls can afford to try to rehab the trade value of veterans like Buddy Hield along the way. At worst, it doesn’t work, and Chicago quickly moves on. No harm and no foul. The Bulls will quickly discover why the sharpshooter is no longer the answer to any team’s shooting woes.
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