Chicago Bulls fans could be headed for a nightmarish Deja vu scenario on Feb. 5.
After refusing to trade Nikola Vucevic for anything less than a first-round pick at last year's trade deadline, the Bulls are reportedly digging their feet in again and demanding at least an unprotected first-round pick for Coby White.
White is one of the most commonly mentioned names as this season's trade deadline approaches. The 25-year-old guard is a proven NBA scorer with some overlooked playmaking chops and has been linked to the Minnesota Timberwolves, Atlanta Hawks and Dallas Mavericks, among others.
His $12.9 million salary makes him a lower-salaried option for teams in need of backcourt help -- although those relatively diminutive wages also make finding fair value for him more difficult.
Therein lies the catch: How do you judge what "fair value" is?
Chicago Bulls asking price for Coby White may be too high
The Bulls had opportunities to trade Vucevic last season. Reportedly, Chicago could have received a pair of second-round selections for a then-34-year-old center who no longer fit the team's style of play. Grabbing something of value and parting ways seemed like a logical decision.
The Bulls likely missed their opportunity to collect a few assets for a player who won't be in the Windy City next season. Including the now-35-year-old's expiring salary in some other kind of deal is the best Chicago can hope for.
Executive VP of basketball operations Artūras Karnišovas seems headed for a repeat of that debacle, but with a much more valuable player.
ClutchPoints insider Brett Siegel joined Bulls Central to dish some intel, in the process detailing what Karnišovas is looking for in return for White, saying in part, "They have wanted an unprotected first-round pick for Coby White, even though he is in the final year of his contract."
Chicago's front office believes White is that valuable a player. And there's a chance it's right. But that's not the ultimate point.
The Bulls need to be in asset-collection mode
Had Karnišovas had the guts to deal White last year, or even this past offseason, landing an unprotected first-round pick would have been squarely on the table. Now, after an injury-plagued, up-and-down first half of the season, the former North Carolina star's value has diminished.
But hey, Bulls fans got to watch their team finish another mediocre season with a blowout loss in the Play-In Tournament.
And now they're watching another mediocre season that, unless Karnišovas decides to unexpectedly change course, will likely finish with another Play-In berth.
If it comes down to it, the Bulls should be open to accepting a protected first-round pick, even if it comes two or three years down the road, and especially if that would net them an extra second-round pick or a swap or some kind of additional value. That might even be preferable to an unprotected first in this year's draft from a contender such as the Detroit Pistons, which would likely land somewhere in the 20s.
But if Karnišovas doesn't get the kind of pick he wants and decides to hold onto White -- before either letting him walk for nothing as a free agent or overpaying to keep him -- it would be another setback to an organization that's already had too many.
Like, for example, the Vucevic catastrophe.