The Bulls may already have their Coby White replacement hiding in plain sight with Illinois guard Keaton Wagler emerging as a potential top-10 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.
Chicago traded White in one of its most underwhelming deals of this year's trade deadline, sending him to the Charlotte Hornets in exchange for Collin Sexton, Ousmane Dieng and three second-round picks.
The move became even more frustrating after those three second-rounders became two, and Dieng was rerouted to the Milwaukee Bucks for Nick Richards. (Dieng just posted 19 points, 11 rebounds, six assists, four blocks, a steal and hit three 3-pointers for the Bucks in a win over the Oklahoma City Thunder.)
But Wagler, who's quickly become one of the country's best guards in Champaign, could erase some of that disappointment.
Bulls Coby White replacement is becoming a star for the Fighting Illini
Wagler was 247Sports' 150th-ranked recruit in the 2025 class. The 6-foot-6 guard was a four-star prospect, so his finding success at a high-major level shouldn't be a massive surprise.
But the level of success he's discovered so rapidly has shocked scouts.
Wagler is averaging 18.5 points, 4.9 rebounds and 4.3 assists with shooting splits of 46/44/80 across 25 starts for the No. 8 team in the country. He tops the Big Ten in 3-point shooting percentage. He has a 2.5 assist-to-turnover ratio as a freshman, leads his team in starts, and has a usage rate approaching 25 percent.
Wagler poured in 46 points on 13-for-17 shooting from the field and hit nine of his 11 3-point attempts in a road upset of Purdue, one of the most impressive performances from any player in the country this season -- including the projected top three picks of a historic draft class in Darryn Peterson, AJ Dybantsa and Cam Boozer.
Wagler's combination of positional size, intelligence, poise, shot creation and 3-point shooting has him in contention to be a top-10 pick in June.
Keaton Wagler would be a great fit next to Josh Giddey
Pairing the 6-foot-6 Wagler with the 6-foot-8 Josh Giddey would give the Bulls an uncommonly huge backcourt and one of the most uniquely skilled ones in the NBA. Both are high-IQ guards capable of making the right play, but Wagler is the better scorer and an elite 3-point shooter -- two things White brought to the table in Chicago.
The Illinois star is not a high-level athlete and only 180 pounds, so, like White, he would carry several defensive question marks. But unless the Bulls land a top-five pick this summer and one of the draft's best two-way prospects, Wagner's offensive abilities, especially as a shooter, are an elite skill most other players don't possess.
Along with Giddey and 6-foot-10 wing/forward hybrids Matas Buzelis and Noa Essengue, Wagler would give the Bulls an intriguing core to build around -- and one fans could get excited about.
A few months ago, this scenario wasn't on the table; now, it's the perfect plan hiding in plain sight.