The Chicago Bulls appear on the verge of trading Coby White, according to several of the latest NBA rumors. The most oft-mentioned landing spot for the 25-year-old is the Minnesota Timberwolves, and there's a relatively simple deal that makes sense for both franchises.
Minnesota views itself as a Western Conference title contender, but to get there, it needs an upgrade in the backcourt next to Anthony Edwards.
At age 38, Mike Conley Jr. hasn't been the answer. Rob Dillingham isn't ready to carry such a significant burden. Bones Hyland isn't consistent enough. Edwards needs someone to play off of -- and ideally, someone who can play off of him.
White is the perfect solution. And Minnesota has some young players who should be intriguing to Chicago.
Bulls trade Coby White to the Timberwolves in win-win proposal
In its entirety, the trade would look like this:
Why the Timberwolves make this trade
As mentioned above, White is the ideal piece to place next to Edwards.
The former North Carolina star can score from every spot on the floor. He's averaging 19.0 points on 45.7 percent shooting from the field and 37.0 percent from three on more than seven attempts per game this season. He's also attempting a career-high 5.0 free throws per contest and knocking down 80 percent of them.
White was in and out of the lineup to begin the year as he dealt with a series of calf injuries, but those concerns are subsiding. He's now played seven consecutive games and has averaged 20.1 points, 3.9 rebounds and 5.3 assists in 31 minutes per. He's knocking down 4.1 triples a night across that stretch.
It's crucial to mention White's legitimate combo guard skill set. He's a criminally underrated playmaker who's averaged 4.8 assists over his last three seasons, including this one. The ability to lead an offense without Edwards, play alongside Edwards and act as an off-ball scorer and creator is exactly what the Timberwolves need.
Grading the trade for the Chicago Bulls
Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times reported on Jan. 27 that among the trio of White, Ayo Dosunmu and Tre Jones, White is the most likely to be moved before the Feb. 5 deadline.
Considering his status as an unrestricted free agent at the end of this season, the money he'll command on the open market and his questionable long-term fit next to Josh Giddey, Cowley's information makes sense.
If White is on his way out the door and the Bulls can take advantage of Minnesota's desperation, acquiring two young guards would be a shrewd piece of business.
The Timberwolves traded up to select Dillingham with the No. 8 pick in the 2024 draft. Despite a slow start to his career, the former Kentucky star is still 21 years old. The explosive first step and three-level scoring ability that made him a top-10 pick are still there. Chicago could give him a better opportunity to display them.
Shannon Jr. may be a mostly finished product as a 25-year-old sophomore, but he was an elite scorer at Illinois. His per-36-minute scoring average of 12.8 points on 40.5 percent shooting from three this season screams solid role player if, like Dillingham, he were given an opportunity.
Conley Jr.'s $10.7 million expiring contract is there to make the money work. He would become a buyout candidate before the ink dried on the deal.