The Chicago Bulls traded Coby White before the deadline for Collin Sexton, and three second-round draft picks in a move fans immediately hated. It has only gotten worse as White’s efficiency and per-minute numbers have climbed with the Hornets. It even had Tim Bontemps calling him the perfect fit in Charlotte. In return, the Bulls got a player who will be gone this summer, and three draft choices that are unlikely to amount to anything.
Watching White thrive on a team that is making a massive leap has to be hurtful for Bulls fans. The seventh overall pick never found his optimal role in Chicago. He put up numbers, but the wins never followed. Charlotte is 11-5 with White in the lineup as the 6’4 guard has blossomed as a dynamic sixth man in the Hornets' attack.
Bulls fans knew this trade was a disaster immediately. White averaged over 20 points per game and looked like a building block in 2024. For Chicago to dump him for a couple of second-rounders was bad. It got worse as he’s thrived in a smaller role and is helping a conference rival win.
Coby White trade keeps haunting the Bulls
The Hornets have made a miraculous turnaround and are breaking into national NBA conversations. For the season, they have the fourth-best point differential in the Eastern Conference. White is playing a key scoring role on a surprise team that has passed the Bulls by.
Chicago should be a yearly contender, but they have been the definition of mediocre since 2015. This is the Bulls. Michael Jordan’s team. A storied franchise with six NBA championships. It is painful when the team isn’t good. That hurt multiples when the Hornets are better, and a former Bulls building block is playing a crucial role in Charlotte’s success.
Bulls fans watching Coby White thrive is like seeing your ex in a new relationship. You want the person to succeed, but it hurts seeing them do it with someone else. The 26-year-old is just entering his prime and has his best basketball ahead of him. The Bulls sold low to avoid paying him this summer, and the regret is already palpable.
Collin Sexton is averaging 17.2 points on 48.9 percent shooting from the field with the Bulls. Sadly, he is an unrestricted free agent and unlikely to want to stay in Chicago on a rebuilding team.
To anyone thinking Sexton has replaced White, the Bulls have a negative-4.6 net rating in Sexton’s minutes this season and were just minus-0.2 with White. Chicago sits at minus-7.9 with neither player on the floor this season, so both have made the Bulls better, despite White having a significant edge.
This one hurts. Chicago Bulls fans wanted Coby White to be a building block for years to come. He was a player the franchise drafted and developed, but it didn’t work out. Now, White is thriving with the Hornets. The only way the Bulls can salvage a shred of dignity in this trade is by hitting a home run with the draft capital Chicago got in return. That is easier said than done.