Getty Josh Hart #11 of the Portland Trail Blazers looks on
Out of all the Chicago Bulls’ current players, fourth-year guard, Coby White, appears to have the least secured future. That uncertainty could lead him right out of town and to the Great Northwest in exchange for a highly-valued wing defender.
White is heading into the final year of his contract after being taken seventh overall in the 2019 NBA Draft. Insiders expect the Bulls to look to move the combo guard instead of exploring an extension.
Whether or not that is the case, one NBA executive believes there the Portland Trail Blazers, who has been linked to Bulls free agent Zach LaVine could make for a trade partner.
As for the return, it would check off one of the boxes on the Bulls’ offseason to-do list.
The Bulls Need More Hart
Among the many needs the Bulls will try to fulfill this offseason is perimeter defense. Their first-round series loss to the Milwaukee Bucks exposed their lack of three-point shooting, sure. But it also exposed an alarming lack of wing stoppers.
The Bulls shot just 28.3% from downtown while the Bucks connected on 38% of their looks.
White hit a career-high 38.5% of his outside looks during the regular season, White shot just 27.6% from three-point range in the postseason and capped off the playoff “run” with a 4-for-13 performance in the decisive Game 5.
Still, the executive thinks there is enough intrigue from the Blazers to pursue a trade for Josh Hart.
“They have had interest in him before. New front office, so things change but he makes some sense there. A guy like Josh Hart makes a lot of sense for Chicago, they need versatility on the wings.”
Josh Hart was doing it all for the @Trailblazers picking off 4 steals in addition to GOING OFF for a career-high 44 points! #RipCity
@JoshHart: 44 PTS, 8 REB, 6 AST, 4 STL, 6 3PM
Hart averaged 14.9 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 4.1 assists this past season. He shot over 50% from the floor. But he saw just 34.3% of his triples fall. That was still the second-highest mark of his career.
However, Hart hit 37.3% of his threes after being traded to Portland.
His offense would be gravy for a Bulls team that could really use his prowess on the less-glamorous end.
Hart ranked seventh on the Pelicans and sixth on the Blazers in on-off differential, per Cleaning The Glass.
Not an Easy Path
There are some financial roadblocks, explained the executive. But they should mostly be formalities if the interest is really as anticipated.
“They (Portland) have to guarantee Hart (his $12 million per year is not guaranteed this offseason), which I am sure they will do. But he has had some injury problems and they might like to get off his deal with something in return.”
White’s contract is worth $7.4 million this season and the qualifying offer for him in restricted free agency next season will come in just under $10 million, per Spotrac.
His career numbers from long-distance belied the up-and-down nature that came with his scoring. White shot just 27.6% from three-point range in the postseason and capped off the playoff “run” with a 4-for-13 performance in the decisive Game 5.
Defensively, White finished with the worst defensive rating of his career, per Cleaning the Glass.
White’s name has been bandied about in trade proposals all offseason. That did not change with the Chicago Sun-Times’ Joe Cowley reporting that he expects White to be dealt away. It’s a sentiment echoed by The Athletic’s Darnell Mayberry.
It makes sense to target a wing such as Hart who offers less perimeter shooting than White. But he does so while playing far better (and more consistent) defense.
Simply Not Enough
Beyond Patrick Williams, who missed most of the regular season with a wrist injury, the Bulls trotted out 6-foot-3 Javonte Green to guard wing players and power forwards. The stunning lack of stoppers was startling.
It was also a reminder that this roster has only been together for one season; something Bulls vice president of basketball operations, Arturas Karnisovas, pointed out in his exit interview.
Their preferred starting lineup played just 63 minutes total together.
Cowley and Mayberry have both put at least five teams ahead of the Bulls in the Eastern Conference when fully healthy.
Hart isn’t putting anyone over the top by himself. But, in combination, with other smart moves to fortify this roster, he would help strengthen a roster that rose to first place for much of the regular season despite many of the flaws they seek to correct this offseason.
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Executive Links Bulls to $38M Wing Defender in Proposed Trade