Coby White is reportedly on the trading block. Who are some squads that could use the Chicago Bulls combo guard?
As the NBA Finals wrap up this week, the eyes of the NBA world will turn to the 2022 NBA Draft. That event is fast approaching (Thursday, June 23) and even though the Golden State Warriors and Boston Celtics are still handling the business of determining this past season’s champion, the other 28 NBA franchises already have their sights set on the 2022-2023 campaign and beyond. One of those teams is the Chicago Bulls.
Sean Deveney of Heavy.com reports that while no major changes are expected for the team that started the NBA season strong and finished the season a paltry 7-13 through March and April, some changes around the rotation are possible. One such name that has been mentioned is Coby White, a 6-foot-5 combo guard out of North Carolina that just completed his third NBA season.
While his numbers aren’t terrible when compared to the average NBA guard (a nice 69th percentile among the combo guard position per Cleaning the Glass) they are below the grade when considering White was the No. 7 overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft by the Bulls.
Combine that reality with the fact he is due a contract extension this or next summer and Chicago’s current cap sheet (which is about to be further weighed down by a likely Zach LaVine max deal), White’s time with the Bulls may well be up, especially considering the rise of guards like Ayo Dosunmu, who is both cheaper and better for Chicago currently than White.
So if White is indeed on the outs with the Chicago Bulls, who are some squads that would benefit from his scoring services as either a starter or as a reserve? Here are three NBA teams that could use someone of Coby White’s skill set and size.
3. The Memphis Grizzlies could reset their backcourt depth
Chicago Bulls receive – De’Anthony Melton, No. 22 and No. 47 overall picks in 2022 NBA Draft
Memphis Grizzlies receive – Coby White, No.18 overall pick in 2022 NBA Draft
De’Anthony Melton of the Memphis Grizzlies is a winning basketball player in the regular season. The numbers back up the eye test — when Melton is on the floor, a team’s defense is much more aggressive in creating “stocks”, or steals/blocks (97th and 96th percentile in the NBA in steal and block percentage among combo guards) and he also helps tremendously with team rebounding (a staggering 15.1 percent defensive rebound mark, 100th percentile per Cleaning the Glass).
He also struggles mightily offensively (37th percentile in points per shot attempt) and despite his 6-foot-8.5 wingspan, his 6-foot-2 frame can create issues in terms of his combo guard positioning when the playoffs arrive.
Meanwhile, White is a better offensive weapon in almost every way, even from beyond the arc this past season after a career-best campaign for both players. Coby is not the defensive dynamo that De’Anthony is, however — he has a shorter wingspan than the shorter in terms of height Melton, and his “stocks” percentages are in the bottom third of the league.
It’s a true tradeoff of offense for defense, with a special kicker for both squads involving picks. Chicago is going to be cash-strapped in terms of the salary cap soon, and they acquire two later firsts that are four-year rookie deals in addition to Melton’s very team-friendly two-year descending value contract that has roughly $16 million remaining.
Memphis, on the other side, adds a player in White that theoretically could replace both De’Anthony and Tyus Jones, who may depart in free agency. White played almost every minute as the backup point guard in Chicago this past season according to Basketball-Reference.com and is more than capable of doing that for the Grizzlies. But White also has experience as a two-guard, and alongside Ja Morant could provide valuable secondary facilitation and shooting ability against reserve units where his defensive issues will not be as impactful.
Combine that with a move up the draft board to No. 18 to perhaps take a Kyle Anderson (another Memphis free agent) replacement like Tari Eason or Patrick Baldwin Jr., or another “older” player that is ready to contribute like Ochai Agbaji or E.J. Liddell, and the Grizzlies would feel better about their roster’s age/financial situation as Ja Morant’s own max deal kicks in next summer. A Coby White extension likely looks similar to what De’Anthony Melton’s contract did for Memphis.
And Chicago didn’t select him No. 7 overall to pay him roughly $9 million a season as a reserve contributor. His ability to space the floor for the second unit and play both on and off the ball matters most. For Chicago, they get another pick in this draft while adding a guard that will strengthen their defense alongside star offensive weapons. Win-win.
2. Houston Rockets
Chicago Bulls receive: David Nwaba, 2023 first-round pick (via Milwaukee), 2024 first-round pick via Brooklyn (Lottery protected, becomes 2024 2nd round pick (via Golden State) and 2025 second-round pick (via Houston) if not conveyed).
Houston Rockets receive: Coby White
In the same mindset as the Memphis deal, the Bulls look to a future where they will need more cost-effective talent while balancing the need to compete now. Look no further than David Nwaba, who was very much not part of what the Houston Rockets were trying to do last season in terms of development.
Nwaba struggled, to be sure — he posted a career-worst minus-0.4 on/off number for Houston last season, meaning the Rockets were 0.4 points worse per 100 possessions when he was playing. But read that sentence again — a minus-0.4 was the worst mark of his career. Prior to that, every time Nwaba logged over 600 minutes in a season his on/off was a positive, with the lowest number being +1.9 over 1,600 minutes played for the … Chicago Bulls in the 2017-18 season.
He has a history of being a winning player (as well as an injured one), and with only $5 million owed him this coming season (and a full team option the following year) the main focus of this trade for Chicago would be the future assets, especially the first-round pick from the Bucks in 2023 which is unprotected. Of course, Milwaukee should be in the title mix again next season, but all it takes is one injury you don’t wish on anyone and things get interesting.
For Houston, White is worth taking a flyer on — especially if they are not using any first-round pick that figures to be in the top-20 if things go as they’re supposed to. Coby White can be a reserve guard that can score for the Rockets, and while his assist percentage certainly could be better (31st percentile) he has shown growth in terms of his assist to usage rate as well as his turnover rate, which dropped almost four full percentage points this past season.
At 22 years old, he fits the Rockets’ timeline. He could be a solid player offensively alongside either Jalen Green or Kevin Porter Jr., and the Bulls take a player back that has helped them before, is elite in the “stocks” and rebounding for his position group category like Melton is, and if he flames out they can get out of the contract while using additional draft capital to add to their roster in a variety of ways.
1. Minnesota Timberwolves
Chicago Bulls receive: Jordan McLaughlin, Leandro Bolmaro, No. 48 pick in 2022 NBA Draft, 2023 first-round pick via Minnesota (top-eight protected, becomes 2025/2027 second-round picks via Minnesota if not conveyed)
Minnesota Timberwolves receive: Coby White
The Timberwolves had a bench scoring issue against the Memphis Grizzlies in their 2022 first-round NBA Playoff series. In particular, there was no lead guard that had the ability to score and handle/facilitate the offense. In fact, in their two final losses of the season to the Grizzlies only one bench player scored in double-figures in both games — Taurean Prince (Game 5) and Jaden McDaniels (Game 6).
That simply will not get the job done once the postseason hits.
Enter White for Minnesota, a guard who is malleable enough to fit alongside any of the core Timberwolves players offensively. The Wolves would miss McLaughlin’s steal percentage (98th percentile among point guards) but White is much more capable of getting a bucket than McLaughlin is from beyond the arc and provides spacing for the Minnesota offense. White is also almost four years younger than McLaughlin and has the ability to grow into the Timberwolves’ core and adapt — especially defensively — to what Minnesota wants to be.
For Chicago, this trade looks like a loser in terms of talent coming back. McLaughlin is a sneaky good player without name recognition, but beyond that 12-14 minutes a night behind a hopefully healthy Lonzo Ball and the “very much a project” Leandro Bolmaro this deal does not make the Bulls better now.
What it does do, however, is get Chicago a pretty hefty trade piece.
Minnesota, under new ownership Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez as well as team leadership with Tim Connelly, surely sees themselves as a team that is likely to rise up the ranks of the Western Conference. They are looking to deal and get better in the here and now. White provides needed scoring as a reserve without parting with any major cog in the Timberwolves rotation (McLaughlin and Bolmaro were 11th and 14th in minutes played) — that’s big.
But so is a possible lottery pick in 2024 if things do not go well among the Anthony Edwards/Karl-Anthony Towns/D’Angelo Russell (assuming they cannot move him in a separate deal) triumvirate.
The Bulls could use that pick for a future trade of their own, or look to a possible lottery selection from a franchise that has, historically, not been a playoff contender consistently. It’s a bet that with internal improvement/health from other Western Conference teams, the Timberwolves are not likely to live long among the postseason squads out west. It’s also a chance at late-Lottery talent considering the past of the Minnesota franchise.
The Timberwolves feel they were on par with the rising Memphis Grizzlies in their series, and perhaps just need a tweak here and there to add to their core. This deal allows for them to keep No. 19 in this draft while also adding a player like White to a formidable young roster with a key veteran presence. It should set up the Wolves to stick around in the playoff hunt.
Yet, if it doesn’t…the Bulls would have acquired a very good asset to get their own roster in order. And precedent suggests it’s a bet worth taking.