Early Indications Are Coby White, Chicago Bulls Want To Get Deal Done Next Summer

Chicago Bulls point guard Coby White becomes an unrestricted free agent next summer and early indications are that both sides want to get a deal done, according to Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times.

White appeared in 74 games for the Bulls last season. He averaged 20.4 points, 3.7 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 0.9 steals and 0.2 blocks while shooting 45.3% from the field, 37.0% from beyond the arc and 90.2% from the free-throw line. 

A UNC product, White will make $12.9 million this season in the final year of his contract. He signed a three-year, $36 million deal with the Bulls in 2023.

White, 25, has career averages of 15.2 points, 3.6 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 0.7 steals and 0.2 blocks. He was the seventh overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft.

“I know multiple teams tried to trade for Coby White this summer,” an NBA executive told DallasHoopsJournal in August. “There was some chatter that he was almost traded on draft night. The Chicago Bulls love him, though. He’s not going anywhere. They have shot down trade inquiries for him.”

The Bulls went 39-43 last season. They haven’t made the playoffs since 2022.

Chicago traded 2011 MVP Derrick Rose to the New York Knicks in 2016 and All-Star forward Jimmy Butler to the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2017. The franchise has made the playoffs only twice since trading Rose, going 3-8. 

The Bulls lost to the Boston Celtics in the first round of the 2017 playoffs in six games and fell to the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round of the 2022 playoffs in five games.