Getty DeMar DeRozan #11, Derrick Jones Jr. #5 and Coby White #0 of the Chicago Bulls at the United Center
The deepest part of the Chicago Bulls roster is its rotation of guards. With no two exactly alike, the Bulls currently have seven guards with three “forwards” that could also fit the bill. It’s that situation that has led to the availability of Coby White.
White has been on the trade block for the past year, reports the Chicago Sun-Times’ Joe Cowley.
Having yet to receive a satisfactory offer, they are set to explore their options at the deadline.
They have “no intention” of extending him. But there is no denying that White has value on this team. That is true even though he would seem to be buried in an even deeper guard rotation than when the offseason began. But is that what is best for the Bulls and, in many regards more importantly, for White?
‘The Bulls Don’t Need Coby White’
“They might like him, writes Zach Buckley for Bleacher Report, “they were big enough fans to spend 2019’s seventh overall pick on him—but there’s a reason every fake trade involving Chicago mentions White.”
White’s best ability – and his only real ability in the eyes of some – is scoring or, more specifically shooting.
The 6-foot-4 guard out of North Carolina has bounced between starting and a bench role. Some of that has been due to health. White spoke of the value of being able to go through a full offseason regimen during his exit interview.
White’s inclusion in hypothetical trade scenarios is “not a knock” on the former seventh-overall pick, Buckley says.
“He just had his best shooting season from close range (66.1% inside of three feet) and from long distance (38.5). His defense and decision-making have continually grown. He has shown a ton during his first three seasons, and he hasn’t turned 23 yet.”
Those are all characteristics that teams figure to desire in young prospects. Especially when they have a contract decision looming.
Despite his skills and potential, Buckley says there is simply no room for White in the rotation.
“His scoring punch is powerful (career 17.5 points per 36 minutes), but Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, and Nikola Vucevic have more knockout power. So White’s point production will never impact this group the way Lonzo Ball‘s passing or Alex Caruso‘s energy can. With Ayo Dosunmu, Dalen Terry, and Goran Dragic all around, the Bulls could send off White without missing a beat.”
Can Bulls Rebuild Coby White’s Market?
Buckley notes that the Bulls’ current front office did not draft White – one of just two players who remain from before their arrival – and that Cowley says that there are “no intentions” of offering an extension. But he also points out that White has been available for the past year. NBC Sports Chicago’s K.C. Johnson reported they sought a young rotation player and a draft pick in return.
It is hard to envision a scenario in which White is playing enough to build up any more trade value than what the Bulls have already been offered. And they did receive significant interest in White around the draft.
“White could be so much more somewhere else”, Buckley closes.
That sentiment may very well be true. But the Bulls are hoping to extract a little more value out of White one way or the other.