The Chicago Bulls should see what kind of return the Boston Celtics can get for Anfernee Simons before thinking about trading Coby White.
Boston acquired Simons from the Portland Trail Blazers in a one-for-one swap for Jrue Holiday as part of the franchise's cost-cutting summer. The Celtics also dumped Kristaps Porzingis on the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for an uninspiring return of Georges Niang, a 2031 second-round pick and cash.
They also let franchise legend Al Horford walk in free agency, and Horford is expected to eventually land in Golden State, which could have been a landing spot for Nikola Vucevic. That transaction will reportedly happen once the Warriors work out their Jonathan Kuminga problem, another situation that could have a potential impact in Chicago.
The more direct influence on the Bulls' next major decision will likely come if (or when) Boston deals Simons.
An Anfernee Simons trade could help the Bulls if they deal Coby White
To be sure, the Celtics and Bulls are two franchises in dramatically different situations -- Chicago is trying to climb out of Play-In purgatory while Boston is attempting to hold onto its status as a title contender sans Jayson Tatum -- but Simons and White are relatively similar as players. Both are combo guards capable of running the offense when necessary but are more comfortable off the ball in a score-first role.
White is 25 and coming off his best NBA season after averaging 20.4 points, 3.7 rebounds and 4.5 assists with shooting splits of 45/37/90. He drained a career best 584 threes in 2024-25. Simons, 26, saw a drop in production last year, scoring 19.3 points per game, his lowest since the 2021-22 season when he played second fiddle to Damian Lillard in Portland.
White became the Bulls' No. 1 scoring option by the end of last year, while Simons dropped down the pecking order with the Blazers to the point where he became expendable after seven years with the franchise. Like their respective teams, the two are trending in opposite directions.
Both players will be unrestricted free agents at the conclusion of the 2025-26 campaign. White is more valuable and will likely command a higher salary on the open market unless something unexpected happens. Simons doesn't make a ton of sense as a long-term option in Boston, which means he's a very conceivable candidate to be moved at this year's trade deadline. Teams around the league know that, though, which means the price to acquire him will drop.
Still, it would behoove Chicago to watch what happens with Simons and the Celtics. Bulls executive VP of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas doesn't have a reputation as the shrewdest wheeler-and-dealer. If Boston does trade Simons and gets something like a lottery-ticket prospect and a few second-round picks (just for argument's sake), Karnisovas should hold out for something more -- a package that includes a top young prospect and a first-round pick, perhaps.
As comparable as White and Simons are in archetype, the former is more valued across the league, and the Bulls should treat him as such if they decide to trade him rather than extend him next summer.