Chicago Bulls’ Coby White makes trade preference known

Originally posted on ChiCitySports | By Jordan Sigler | Last updated Jan 29, 2026 2:08 PM ET

The Chicago Bulls entered the week on a four-game winning streak, earning a winning record with a 114-111 win over the Boston Celtics on Saturday night.

With an upward swing in momentum, there was a thought that the Bulls would try and make a push for the postseason with their core, and could even add help before the trade deadline on Feb. 5.

However, things have taken an ugly turn this week with a 129-118 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday night and an embarrassing 113-110 defeat to the lowly Indiana Pacers.

Per Jake Weinbach, the Houston Rockets are interested in Coby White. However, the Rockets are “unwilling” to trade Tari Eason or a first-round pick for White.

The Rockets have reportedly maintained interest in Coby White but have not made any progress on a deal, per @JWeinbachNBA

Houston is “unwilling” to include Tari Eason or a first-round pick, which is likely what it would take to land White from Chicago pic.twitter.com/Lfaprh46hI

— SleeperRockets (@SleeperRockets) January 28, 2026

Despite losing to the team with the second-worst record in the Eastern Conference on Wednesday night, White thinks the Bulls are good enough to make a playoff push.

White was asked if Chicago should try and add talent to the locker room at the trade deadline. The 2019 No. 7 pick is all for it.

“You ain’t never going to get me to say nah,” White said, via Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times. “Obviously, we’ve proved it. We’ve beaten really good teams this year. We’ve just got to continue to figure it out, make that push. We’re still in the hunt. I think we’re, like, two or three games out of sixth, so we’re still in the hunt.

“We’ve just got to keep competing. Like I’ve said, I love being here. I love playing with these guys. We go out there every night and lay it on the line, and sometimes things don’t go your way, and sometimes they do.”

Chicago Bulls, Coby White have critical series with Miami Heat

Jan 15, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen (31) and Chicago Bulls guard Coby White (0) and center Nikola Vucevic (9) reach for a loose ball in the second quarter at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

With the decision for Chicago’s front office in flux, Thursday night’s contest against the Miami Heat could be critical for White and the Bulls, as the teams play a three-game series in four days.

Chicago will host a 25-23 Miami Heat team (No. 8 in the Eastern Conference) that looks bound for the Play-In Tournament on Thursday. The Bulls will then travel to play the Heat on Saturday night to end their schedule for January before beginning the month of February against Miami on Sunday.

The Heat have crushed Chicago in the play-in in recent years. Maybe the front office decides to sell if they lose the series.

If the Bulls win, reinforcements could be coming.

This article first appeared on ChiCitySports and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: