Chicago Bulls Central

Did the Chicago Bulls give up on Rob Dillingham too soon—and could Buddy Hield’s shooting actually make life significantly easier for Matas Buzelis and Caleb Wilson?
On today’s episode of Chicago Bulls Central, Haize breaks down the Bulls’ reported decision to send 21-year-old Rob Dillingham to Charlotte for veteran sharpshooter Buddy Hield and cash considerations. Dillingham averaged 9.6 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.8 assists in 30 games with Chicago, but also shot 30% from three and carried significant questions about turnovers, defense and his pathway to minutes. Pasted text
The uncomfortable part? Dillingham is still only 21, and Chicago is supposedly rebuilding. Haize examines whether Bryson Graham sold too early on a former lottery pick before Tiago Splitter ever had the chance to coach him—or correctly identified that Chicago needed movement shooting and cleaner role definition more than another ball-dominant developmental guard. Pasted text
Then we get into the fun part. 🎯
Buddy Hield is a 39.5% career three-point shooter, and his value goes far beyond standing in the corner. Haize breaks down how Hield’s movement shooting could create easier driving lanes for Caleb Wilson and Matas Buzelis, improve Nic Claxton’s roll opportunities, and give Josh Giddey another proven relocation target. Pasted text
PLUS…
Chicago may have solved one issue while creating another.
Who creates offense when Josh Giddey sits?
Tre Jones can organize. Norman Powell can score. Matas needs real creation reps. Dailyn Swain can eventually connect possessions. But replacing Dillingham with Hield changes the bench’s offensive hierarchy in a major way. Pasted text
🔥 On today’s Chicago Bulls Central:
🚨 Did Chicago give up on Rob Dillingham too soon?
🎯 Why Buddy Hield is a cleaner roster fit
👀 The risk of betting on a 33-year-old coming off a down season
🌟 How Hield could unlock Caleb Wilson
🔥 How movement shooting helps Matas Buzelis
🧠 Buddy Hield + Nic Claxton handoff actions
⚔️ Who creates offense when Josh Giddey sits?
📈 Why Matas must get real second-unit creation reps
🐂 The Dailyn Swain opportunity
📞 Bulls Central listener voicemails
💬 Did Bryson Graham sell low on Rob Dillingham—or recognize a bad fit before wasting a season trying to force it?
And…
Who should become Chicago’s late-clock creator off the bench: Norman Powell, Matas Buzelis, Tre Jones or someone else?
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he Chicago Bulls are reportedly trading Rob Dillingham to the Charlotte Hornets for veteran sharpshooter Buddy Hield and cash considerations, adding another proven perimeter shooter just before training camp. theScore
On this emergency episode of Chicago Bulls Central, Haize breaks down the trade from every angle.
Why did Bryson Graham decide to move on from Dillingham now? What does Buddy Hield bring to a Bulls roster built around Josh Giddey, Norman Powell, Matas Buzelis, Caleb Wilson and Nic Claxton? And could Hield’s movement shooting finally give Chicago the spacing weapon we’ve spent the entire offseason saying this roster needs?
Hield has shot 39.5% from three across his NBA career, although he dipped to 34.9% last season. That makes this a bet that his shooting gravity and track record can still translate into a valuable complementary role in Chicago. Basketball Reference
The financial side matters too. Hield is making roughly $9.66 million this season, while the reported trade structure allows Charlotte to create a sizable trade exception and reduce salary, with Chicago also receiving cash. Basketball Reference
And Bulls fans are already going to ask:
What does this mean for the Ayo Dosunmu trade?
Remember—the Bulls originally received Rob Dillingham, Leonard Miller and four second-round picks from Minnesota for Ayo Dosunmu and Julian Phillips. Dillingham becoming Buddy Hield doesn’t erase the remaining Miller-and-picks portion of that return. NBA
🔥 On today’s Chicago Bulls Central:
- 🚨 Bulls trade Rob Dillingham for Buddy Hield
- 🎯 Why Chicago targeted shooting
- 🧠 How Hield could fit with Josh Giddey
- 🌟 What his gravity could do for Matas and Caleb
- ⚔️ How this changes the Bulls’ bench rotation
- 👀 What moving Dillingham says about Chicago’s evaluation of him
- 💰 The financial side of the trade
- 🔄 What this REALLY means for the Ayo Dosunmu trade tree
- 🐂 Whether Buddy Hield could become a meaningful piece beyond this season
💬 Did the Bulls make the RIGHT move trading Rob Dillingham for Buddy Hield?
Drop your reaction below!
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What should Chicago Bulls fans expect from Nic Claxton this season—and who is actually going to survive a loaded training-camp battle?
On today’s episode of Chicago Bulls Central, Haize continues the 2026–27 player preview series with a deep dive into Nic Claxton’s first full season in Chicago and why his impact could go far beyond points per game.
Claxton averaged 11.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.1 blocks last season, while the episode projection has him around 12.8 points, 8.5 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.7 blocks in a larger Bulls role.
Haize breaks down how Claxton can become a more efficient finisher alongside Josh Giddey, Norman Powell, Matas Buzelis and Caleb Wilson, why his communication may be just as important as his shot blocking, and whether he can prove he deserves to remain Chicago’s starting center beyond this season.
Then the training-camp competition heats up. 👀🔥
The Bulls’ confirmed camp invitees are Brandon Boston Jr., Orlando Robinson, Drew Peterson, Peter Suder and Marquel Sutton, while Chicago currently has one standard roster opening and one two-way opening available.
Who has the clearest path?
Can Boston’s scoring translate into a lower-usage NBA role? Can Peterson’s passing separate him? Does Suder’s shooting survive NBA length? Can Sutton’s rebounding and activity force Chicago to invest in another developmental forward?
PLUS…
Four Bulls could be battling just to establish dependable rotation minutes:
🔥 Rob Dillingham
👀 Patrick Williams
🌱 Noa Essengue
🐂 Dailyn Swain
Each player has a completely different path to earning Tiago Splitter’s trust, and Haize breaks down exactly what each one needs to show.
🔥 On today’s Chicago Bulls Central:
🐂 Nic Claxton season prediction
🔒 What Claxton must provide defensively
🎯 How Giddey and Powell can improve his finishing
👀 Five camp invitees fighting for two openings
🔥 Brandon Boston Jr.’s path to the standard roster
🧠 Drew Peterson vs. Peter Suder for the two-way spot
⚔️ Dillingham, P-Will, Noa and Swain fighting for rotation minutes
📞 Bulls Central listener voicemails
💬 What would Nic Claxton have to show this season for YOU to view him as the Bulls’ long-term starting center?
And…
Which camp invitee or rotation-battle player are you watching closest?
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Caleb Wilson has already said he wants to become an All-Defensive First Team player—but how aggressively should the Chicago Bulls test him during his rookie season? And could Norman Powell become one of the keys to unlocking Matas Buzelis as a creator?
On today’s episode of Chicago Bulls Central, Haize dives into three major Bulls development questions heading toward training camp.
First, we break down Caleb Wilson’s defensive ceiling. At North Carolina, Wilson averaged 9.4 rebounds, 1.5 steals and 1.4 blocks, giving Chicago a real foundation to work with defensively. But NBA defense is a different challenge, and the Bulls have to decide whether Caleb should immediately take difficult individual assignments or begin primarily as a disruptive help defender next to Matas Buzelis and Nic Claxton.
Haize discusses why “guard the other team’s best player” shouldn’t automatically become Caleb’s nightly job, what he needs to learn about screens, physicality and foul discipline, and how Tiago Splitter can gradually increase his responsibility as his recognition improves.
Then we get into the X’s and O’s. 🧠🔥
What if Norman Powell setting screens for Matas Buzelis becomes one of Chicago’s most useful developmental actions?
Instead of Matas simply getting more isolation possessions, an inverted ball screen could force him to read switches, traps, help defenders and passing windows—while Powell’s shooting gravity creates consequences for defenders who overcommit.
And finally…
👀 The New York Knicks’ camp roster could eventually produce veteran cuts including names such as Bruce Brown, John Konchar, Ochai Agbaji, Drew Eubanks or James Wiseman. But that does not mean Chicago should automatically fill its remaining roster opening. The Bulls should monitor the situation and only add someone who clearly improves either the NBA rotation or the development environment.
🔥 On today’s Chicago Bulls Central:
🔒 Should Caleb Wilson guard elite scorers immediately?
🧠 How Caleb can develop as a help defender
🐂 How Matas, Caleb and Claxton could work together defensively
🎯 Norman Powell screening for Matas Buzelis
🔥 Why inverted ball screens could accelerate Matas’ development
👀 James Wiseman or Drew Eubanks to Chicago?
🏀 Which Knicks camp cuts actually fit the Bulls?
💰 Why keeping the roster spot open may be the smartest move
💬 Would you rather see Caleb learn by guarding elite scorers—or become the type of help defender who makes the entire Bulls defense better?
And…
Would you use the Bulls’ final standard roster opening now—or wait until camp exposes a clear need?
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Are the Chicago Bulls further along in their rebuild than people realize? And did Bryson Graham miss some affordable opportunities to improve the roster this offseason?
On today’s episode of Chicago Bulls Central, Haize breaks down THREE major questions surrounding the Bulls heading into the 2026–27 season.
First, FOUR Chicago Bulls made ESPN’s Top 100 player rankings:
🔥 Josh Giddey — #80
🎯 Norman Powell — #86
🌟 Matas Buzelis — #88
👀 Caleb Wilson — #97
Matas was unranked entering last season, while Caleb makes the list before even playing an NBA regular-season game. But rankings alone don’t prove Chicago’s rebuild is ahead of schedule—the real test is whether these players actually make each other better when they share the floor.
Haize breaks down the difference between talent, fit and responsibility, why Matas Buzelis’ next leap needs to force defenses to adjust, and what Caleb Wilson can do to justify the national hype without needing huge scoring numbers every night.
Then we turn to Tiago Splitter’s defense.
The Bulls committed roughly 15.3 turnovers per game last season while forcing only 13.0, creating a turnover disadvantage. Could Chicago’s new length, athleticism and defensive versatility turn steals and deflections into easier offense for Josh Giddey, Matas and Caleb?
And finally…
🧢 FACTS OR CAP: Did Bryson Graham miss some of the Bulls’ best affordable trade opportunities?
We break down the cases for:
🎯 Isaiah Joe — acquired for two second-round picks
🔥 Aaron Wiggins — acquired for two second-round picks
💪 Isaiah Stewart — initially reported at three second-round picks before becoming part of a larger deal
Haize examines whether Chicago should have been more aggressive, why Isaiah Joe may have been the most natural fit, and why the actual prices paid by other teams do not prove identical deals were available to the Bulls.
🔥 On today’s Chicago Bulls Central:
🐂 Four Bulls make ESPN’s Top 100
🌟 What Matas must prove next
👀 How Caleb Wilson can justify the hype
🔒 Can Chicago’s defense create easier offense?
💥 Okoro, Claxton and Swain’s defensive roles
🧢 Facts or Cap: Did Bryson Graham miss affordable trades?
🎯 Was Isaiah Joe the biggest missed opportunity?
📈 Should Chicago have prioritized shooting over flexibility?
💬 Which tells you MORE about the Bulls rebuild: one player making a huge individual leap—or Matas, Caleb, Giddey and the core becoming consistently good together?
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