1. Coby White
Fear not, I haven’t included all three members of Chicago’s ‘Big 3’ in this list. Whether the Bulls decide to continue competing or initiate a rebuild, moving LaVine this soon into his massive contract extension makes little sense for either party. Instead, Coby White finds himself at the top spot here.
This has been a recurring theme with White, who has found himself available (for the right price) on the trade block two years in a row now. Johnson even confirms that White had interest at last year’s deadline, but the Bulls held firm.
"“He’s been available and been in a lot of talks. To be frank about the Bulls, it illustrates they won’t just give him away. They were offered direct packages (for him).”"
Despite a dip in raw production for White this season, he’s improved in several facets of the game and would be even more valuable as an elite role player in the right situation.
Coby White believes the game is slowing down for him, especially when coming off the bench. Patrick Williams agrees.
— Joshua M. Hicks (@joshmhicksmedia) January 16, 2023
“Yeah you can say that. I’m just trying to make the right decisions.” White tells @itsthebigs
He had 15 points off the bench tonight vs the Warriors. pic.twitter.com/AAbIeaBadZ
Coby White would attract several suitors if the Chicago Bulls make him available ahead of the trade deadline.
However, due to the question marks surrounding Coby’s ceiling, it’s difficult gauging what would actually be a proper return for the fourth-year guard out of North Carolina. For this reason, I don’t see the Bulls agreeing to a straight-up swap for another player. Instead, I agree with Johnson in that Chicago could pitch an offer including Coby as part of a larger package.
"“When I talk about them potentially being buyers at the deadline, he’d be one of those pieces where you try and get him in a package. I think individually, his trade return is not that significant, but in the right package with that lottery-protected Portland pick… if they’re buyers, I think he’d be in whatever package they send out.”"
With Vucevic seemingly rediscovering his three-point shot (shooting 39.8% since December) and Patrick Williams becoming a lethal spot-up threat (42.1% on 3.5 attempts per game), the Bulls are in a better position to replace Coby’s shooting off the bench than they have been in the past.
If the Bulls can flip White in exchange for a forward that can be a difference-maker on defense, they’d be hard-pressed to say no. With the rumor mill already swirling and no trades made yet, there should be no shortage of potential offers on the table here.