Getty Coby White #0 of the Chicago Bulls looks on during a break in the action.
Sometimes, a run of bad luck isn’t a rough patch. Sometimes, it is the norm and that is true even in sports. That could be where the Chicago Bulls find themselves with fourth-year guard Coby White.
White is in the final year of his contract and there are no plans for an extension putting both sides in an interesting position given their respective needs.
The Bulls need three-point shooting and White needs to prove his NBA worth.
Further complicating matters, White has missed the Bulls’ last four contests. They have gone 2-2 over that span with a win over the Brooklyn Nets but losses to the Boston Celtics and Toronto Raptors in that span.
Bulls Need to Trade White
“After spending the 18th overall pick in the draft on Dalen Terry, seeing the rise of Ayo Dosunmu, and with Alex Carso and Goran Dragic all on the roster, it’s hard to envision White’s role growing in Chicago,” argues Greg Swartz of Bleacher Report, “especially when Lonzo Ball returns from knee surgery.”
Rookie Dalen Terry has not seen many meaningful minutes this season and just broke five full minutes on the floor in a single game against the Toronto Raptors.
And Lonzo Ball is not expected back until sometime in the new year.
But, to Swartz’s point, Ayo Dosunmu and Goran Dragic have been revelations in their respective roles. That’s why, given the Bulls’ current stance on an extension for the streaky shooter, Swartz thinks White needs a change of scenery.
“Rebuilding teams that can offer White a role as a sixth man or spot starter should have an interest in bringing in the 7th overall pick of 2019, seeing what he can do with a bigger share of the offense.”
Swartz suggests this be a move the Bulls look to make the move at the trade deadline in February.
But that could prove to be tricky given the guard’s current disposition.
White Without a Timetable
White suffered a thigh contusion in the loss to the Philadelphia 76ers and has missed the Bulls’ last four games. Head coach Billy Donovan updated the former seventh-overall pick’s status but there was not much to tell.
Not even when we may see him on the floor again.
“He’s still experiencing quite a bit of pain there, so just trying to get him back and healthy,” said Donovan. “I don’t know the timetable for him right now.” (h/t K.C. Johnson/NBC Sports Chicago)
Donovan delivered a similar update on backup big man Andre Drummond leaving the Bulls without two of their top bench options.
White’s Bulls tenure has been rocky but he was supposed to still have a role on this team.
He was drafted by the previous regime and finds himself mired in a logjam. With Ball out, he is to provide that missing deep ball element. But, if he is out dealing with yet another injury, then he can’t do the Bulls much good on the floor or in a trade.
And if he comes back and is performing well, there is a good chance the Bulls will be having at least moderate success as well which could leave them questioning all of this.