Coby White spent his seven-year career with the Chicago Bulls waiting for the green light to truly appear. There were slightly ajar windows of opportunity, but Chicago never seemed to truly endorse White as the player he seemed capable of becoming.
White has already made the Bulls pay for their lack of belief in his abilities by thriving with the Charlotte Hornets and going off during the first Play-In game of the 2025-26 season.
White finished his seven-year Bulls career with averages of 15.4 points, 3.9 assists, 3.6 rebounds, and 2.3 three-point field goals made in 29.7 minutes per game. He reached a career-best 20.4 points per game in 2024-25, leading Chicago to a 19-15 record after they traded Zach LaVine.
Unfortunately, injuries derailed White's momentum in 2025-26 and the Bulls effectively gave up on him before his partnership with Josh Giddey could gain traction.
Chicago has now back to the drawing board as it searches for a scoring guard who can alleviate pressure from Giddey. White, meanwhile, is looking like the exact player they need and never should've traded in the first place.
With a stellar showing off the bench for the Hornets against the Miami Heat in the Play-In Tournament, White has only further solidified his place as the player who got away.
Bulls can only watch Coby White go off in Play-In Tournament for Hornets
White was sensational for Charlotte, finishing with 19 points, five rebounds, three assists, and two steals in 24 minutes. He shot 7-of-15 from the field and an electric 4-of-6 from beyond the arc, including an absurd fadeaway corner three to tie the game at 114-114 with 10.8 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter.
It was the type of performance that offered a harsh reminder of what the Bulls could've had with White and Giddey sharing a backcourt—a frustrating truth considering they showed signs of strong potential in 2024-25.
Unfortunately, White appeared in just 29 of the Bulls' first 51 games in 2025-26 and the franchise opted to move on just when he was beginning to make regular appearances again. They'd gone 11-9 between his final 20 appearances with the team and seemingly looked to be on the rise.
In the 34 games after Chicago traded White, they went just 8-26. Though other changes were made, White's absence was noticeable.
The Bulls went all-in on a surplus of guards they hoped could provide what White routinely proved capable of offering. Collin Sexton played well individually, but White has certainly caused one to question if Chicago's decision to blow the roster up needed to include him.
If nothing else, Bulls fans can at least be proud of White for thriving in a new environment and helping the Hornets move one step closer to the playoffs.
Add us as a preferred source on Google