The Chicago Bulls got off to a 5-0 start this season, but clearly, it was a mirage. Since then, they have gone just 5-14 and are back in NBA purgatory: not good enough to make a playoff run, but also not bad enough to land a top pick in the NBA Draft.
As such, the Bulls are widely expected to sell off some pieces between now and the February trade deadline, and guard Coby White appears to be their chief trade chip.
But unfortunately for Chicago, White’s trade value already appears to be falling off a cliff.
The Minnesota Timberwolves, for example, have expressed interest in White, but because the 25-year-old is headed toward free agency this summer, his price point has dipped “precipitously,” per Sam Amick of The Athletic.
It’s not just White’s contract that is an issue, either.
Coby White may have already ruined the Chicago Bulls’ trade deadline plans
White had a breakout campaign last year, averaging 20.4 points per game while posting a true-shooting percentage of 60.1 percent. This season, however, has been a different story for the former first-round pick.
Through mid-December, White is registering a career-high 21.9 points a night, but on miserable 42.7/29.8/80.0 shooting splits in eight games (he missed considerable time due to a calf injury) White’s significant dip in three-point percentage is very alarming, and while he is taking 8.1 free throws per game, his conversion rate at the charity stripe has also fallen by over 10 percent.
What exactly is going on? Is White feeling the immense pressure of a contract year? Were his last couple of seasons of strong play just a fluke?
Couldn’t be lower
Whatever the case may be, White’s trade value couldn’t possibly be any lower at the moment. Teams are never eager to surrender a pool of assets for an impending free agent. Throw in White’s declining efficiency on top of that, and it’s a perfect storm of bad news for the Bulls.
Is there a chance Chicago ends up re-signing White in free agency? Possibly, but he is due to earn quite a hefty pay day, and if the Bulls do retain him, it could end up hurting them in the long run.
Expect Chicago to aggressively shop White over the next couple of months, but whether or not it is actually able to get a decent return is another story.
The Chicago Bulls should trade away this player before it’s too late
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