Draymond Green has been in the Association for 14 years. In that time, he’s seen more than his share of trade deadlines come and go. This one felt different, though.
Not only because his own name was mentioned in trade rumors as the Golden State Warriors pursued Giannis Antetokounmpo. But also because one team’s approach — the Chicago Bulls — left the four-time NBA champion genuinely stunned.
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On his recent podcast, Green said he was in disbelief as the Bulls broke up key pieces, trading them for second-round picks and expiring contracts, all while adding more guards to an already guard-heavy roster.
“I actually don’t know what the Bulls are doing,” Green said, still very much baffled.
Roster shake-up
The Bulls didn’t exactly sit still — a positive sign at last. In just one week, executive VP of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas made seven trades. He moved six key players. Coby White, Nikola Vucevic, Ayo Dosunmu, and Kevin Huerter were among them.
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Coming in were: Jaden Ivey, Collin Sexton, Anfernee Simons, Rob Dillingham, Leonard Miller, Nick Richards and Guerschon Yabusele — plus nine second-round picks.
The problem? Most of the newcomers are ball-dominant guards. They all need touches and few can play effectively off the ball. Any coach — in this case, Billy Donovan — would struggle to satisfy them all.
Green hammered that point on his podcast. The 2017 Defensive Player of the Year repeatedly made it clear he doesn’t know what Chicago is trying to do with its roster construction.
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“I don’t know what the hell they’re doing with all these guards,” Dray remarked.” It just doesn’t make sense to me.”
Guard logjam
To understand just how unbalanced this roster has become, just look at Josh Giddey.
The Australian floor general has been one of the few Chicago’s brightest spots. When the ball is in his hands, good things tend to happen. After struggling to find that role in Oklahoma City, he’s now averaging 18.8 points, 8.6 rebounds and 8.8 assists in his second season with the Bulls, shooting from deep better than ever.
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But the new arrivals — Ivey, Simons, Sexton, Dillingham — all need touches, making it harder for Giddey to shine.
Beyond him, Green singled out Dillingham, brought in from the Minnesota Timberwolves, as another player whose game depends on having the ball.
“He (Dillingham) needs to go somewhere he can actually get the ball, play, and show his skill set. That was never going to happen in Minnesota,” Green said. He added that Chicago doesn’t look like the right fit either for the 21-year-old.
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Draymond’s frustration didn’t stop there.
To the Warriors veteran, none of this is surprising. He questioned the Bulls’ competence outright. He said their front office hasn’t gotten much right in about 15 years.
And Dray is not wrong. Over that same stretch, the Windy City franchise’s best playoff run was a lone trip to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2011. Meanwhile, they missed the postseason eight times.
Ultimately, the Bulls’ recent moves have drawn more than just Green’s criticism. Experts like Jon Greenberg and Tim Bontemps also see little upside. Given that, it’s hard to see the arrow pointing anywhere but (further) down for Chicago.
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This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Feb 8, 2026, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.