Getty Chicago Bulls guard Coby White fires up a shot during a game against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
After a particularly poor start to the 2022-23 campaign, the Chicago Bulls suddenly look to be trending in the right direction. Entering Friday night’s bout with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder, the team has notched consecutive wins over legitimate contenders in the Eastern Conference.
On Monday, the Bulls dispatched the East-leading Boston Celtics in blowout fashion at the United Center. Then, just two days later, DeMar DeRozan dropped 36 points on the Milwaukee Bucks to help secure a big road win.
Nevertheless, one can’t help but wonder whether Chicago can actually pull it all together this season, especially with Lonzo Ball likely to miss the majority of the campaign as he recovers from his latest knee surgery. If the Bulls truly want to get back to the top of the conference table, additional moves may be required.
To that end, a longtime hoops scribe just floated a trade that may help the club accomplish just that.
Proposed Deal Adds Veteran Swingman to Windy City Mix
Bleacher Report’s Greg Swartz just put out a feature seeking to identify a new potential trade for each of the league’s 30 teams, in which the Bulls showed up a handful of times. One of the deals saw Chicago finally cashing in on lottery-pick-turned-lost-man Coby White by dealing him for a veteran wing with playoff experience.
Here’s the trade that was proposed:
- Chicago Bulls receive G/F Josh Richardson
- San Antonio Spurs receive G Coby White, F Derrick Jones Jr.
Wrote Swartz:
“Richardson is a two-way wing who helps the Bulls’ playoff chances with his three-point shooting and multipositional defense. If Chicago doesn’t plan on re-signing White this summer, moving him now for veteran help is the right decision.”
For the year, the 29-year-old Richardson is averaging a respectable 10.2 points, 3.0 assists and 2.2 rebounds per contest with shooting splits of 40-36-84. However, he doesn’t really match the timeline of the tanking-for-Wembanyama Spurs. The Bulls, on the other hand, could use his talents on both ends of the court.
As an added bonus: his $12.1 million contract will expire at the end of the season, so it won’t hinder the penny-pinching Bulls over the long term.
White Needs a Fresh Start in the Worst Possible Way
Putting themselves in a position to win games may be the top priority for the Bulls, but moving White to a team like the Spurs — with whom he could play a larger role — would no doubt yield some good karma. After generating high hopes upon his entry into the league as a former No. 7 pick, White has been left in the dust more recently.
“White’s playing time has been slashed in Chicago with the additions of Goran Dragic, Dalen Terry and the emergence of Ayo Dosunmu,” Swartz wrote. “The 22-year-old could experience a career revival with the Spurs, however, a team in desperate need of ball-handlers.”
Of course, the big slash actually happened one year earlier when Arturas Karnisovas signed Ball just when it appeared as though White would be receiving the keys to the kingdom. Injuries have played a role in his further minimalization, to be sure, but the team’s roster moves certainly haven’t helped.
And when the Bulls failed to sign him to a contract extension this fall, the writing was clearly on the wall.