Sep 29, 2025; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Coby White (0) poses for photos during Chicago Bulls Media Day. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images David Banks-Imagn Images

Coby White's Contract Statement Shouldn't Sway NBA Teams

Originally posted on Fastbreak on SI | By Justin Grasso | Last updated Oct 3, 2025 9:46 AM ET

Heading into the 2025-2026 NBA season, reports suggested that Coby White doesn’t plan to get his contract situation with the Chicago Bulls sorted out just yet.

While that doesn’t mean that White is making his final run with the Bulls, it suggests that he’s willing to hit the open market to consider other options when he becomes an unrestricted free agent next summer.

This week, White addressed the reports regarding his decision to put contract talks on hold.

“I’m thinking about now and how I can help my team win and become better in every aspect of the game,” White told reporters, via the Chicago-Sun Times.

After signing a three-year, $36 million extension with the Bulls, which kicked in during the 2023-2024 NBA season, White will make his final $12.8 million in salary this year.

If he hits the free agency market at the end of the year, the veteran guard will surely have suitors who would like to take White off the Bulls’ hands. The veteran guard would have to decide whether it’s worth parting ways with the Bulls for the first time or not.

For what it’s worth, White made it clear that he’s still very fond of the Bulls at this stage of his career.

“I’m blessed and fortunate to be in this situation, but I always say that I love being here, I love the front office, I love the relationship that I built with Coach (Billy Donovan), and me and my teammates are super close, so I’m enjoying every moment,” White added.

How long will the moment last? Well, it could be up to White’s market and the state of the Bulls at the end of the 2025-2026 NBA season. Chicago hasn’t signaled a rebuild just yet, but they’ve been delaying the inevitable with some of their moves.

Next season, White will be 26 with just five playoffs games under his belt. In 422 games with the Bulls, White hasn’t played a ton of meaningful basketball. Currently, Chicago is not deemed one of the contenders of the Eastern Conference for the fourth-straight year.

Although White’s claim sounds like a guard who wants to get a deal done with Chicago in due time, NBA teams certainly won’t shy away from the thought of potentially adding White in next summer’s sweepstakes.

Since entering the league, White has produced averages of 15.2 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 3.8 assists, while shooting 43 percent from the field and 37 percent from three. Last year, White had a career year in the scoring department, dropping 20.4 points per game, while making 45 percent of his field goals.