Getty Coby White drives to the basket while being heavily defended in a March 1 game against the Denver Nuggets.
Despite falling short in their playoff push this season, the Chicago Bulls could be primed for a postseason run in 2022, if they can continue building around their two All-Stars in Nikola Vucevic and Zach LaVine.
And they have the means to do so, even after sending out two first-round picks for the aforementioned big man.
With all of Coby White, Lauri Markkanen, Patrick Williams, their first-round pick next year, and all of their draft selections from 2024 on, Chicago can put together a compelling package for whichever star becomes available next.
But among all the Bulls’ options they can offer up in a potential roster upgrade, one piece stands out above the rest.
And it may yield them a new starting point guard in Boston Celtics’ Kemba Walker.
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Coby White Over Patrick Williams?
In his latest piece for Bleacher Report, Every NBA Team’s Best Offseason Trade Chip, Dan Favale offered up his take on each of the NBA’s 30 teams’ trade assets, and which of those pieces stands to yield the most this offseason.
When it came to the Chicago Bulls, he argued that second-year guard Coby White could fetch a decent return on the
trade market, even after an up-and-down sophomore campaign:
Youthful high-volume scorers have a way of seducing teams. Coby White is no exception. His off-the-dribble scoring has room for growth, but he is comfortable manufacturing his own shots and canned 34.7 percent of his pull-up treys as a sophomore, up from 32.8 percent as a rookie.
The 21-year old posted 15.1 points per game, 4.8 assists, and 4.1 rebounds per game this season. And while no one’s arguing White’s long-term potential, Favale prioritizing him over rookie Patrick Williams is surprising:
A top-four selection in this draft would instantly become their best asset. Without one, if the Bulls wish to go on the blockbuster prowl again, they’ll have little choice other than to include both White and Patrick Williams in negotiations. For now, and by a hair, White’s offensive ceiling renders him the spicier asset.
The 19-year old finished his inaugural NBA campaign averaging 9.2 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game.
Favale is right in that defense is viewed as his greatest skill right now, but Chicago saw promise from Williams on both ends of the ball this season.
Nonetheless, it’s likely the Chicago Bulls view him as more of a building block than a trade chip. That point of view in itself alters the weight of Coby White as a trade piece and corroborates with Favale’s take.
It also helps that his Bleacher Report coworker pawned off the point guard in a recent blockbuster trade proposal.
Kemba Walker to Chicago?
In his latest piece for Bleacher Report, NBA Trade Ideas to Save Lottery Teams from Another Playoff Whiff, Greg Swartz made a roster upgrade via trade for all 14 teams that missed the playoffs this season.
To the surprise of none, he targeted a point guard for the Chicago Bulls. But the name he chose might surprise you:
- Chicago Bulls receive: Kemba Walker
- Boston Celtics receive: Coby White, Tomas Satoransky, Al-Farouq Aminu
After losing Jaylen Brown to a season-ending wrist injury, the Boston Celtics were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs in just five games by the Brooklyn Nets’ Big Three.
And according to Brian Robb of Mass Live, they plan to explore moving the All-Star guard in a trade this summer.
Walker’s coming off a year where played just 43 games, but looked the part of a starter when healthy. He averaged 19.3 points, 4.9 assists, four rebounds, and 1.1 steals per game for Boston.
It’s unlikely that the Chicago Bulls would see Kemba Walker as the piece that elevates them into that next tier of teams, considering his own injuries and given that health being the primary cause for their downfall this year.
Still, there’s definitely a reason to think Coby White could net them a piece of that caliber, as a part of the right package.
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Bulls Swap ‘Best Trade Chip’ for Kemba Walker in Wild Trade Proposal