Dallas Mavericks fans were all over Coby White of the Chicago Bulls to begin the offseason, as the team clearly needed guard depth to help them get off to a hot start to begin next season. Kyrie Irving is set to begin the 2025-26 season on the bench as he recovers from a torn ACL, and fans felt that Nico Harrison's best route forward would be to trade for a high-level guard, like White.
At the time, fans thought that White would be the ultimate answer to their need for guard depth, as social media was filled with trade-machine ideas and debates over if Nico Harrison should call Marc Eversley and get a deal done.
Harrison ultimately decided not to make a trade for any guards, as he signed D'Angelo Russell to be their stopgap point guard, and this looks like it'll be the right decision as the offseason rages on, thanks to White's desired amount on a new contract extension. The Mavericks' backcourt could prove to be too weak once the season rolls around, but it doesn't seem like a trade for White was ever a move that made much sense for their long-term future.
According to NBA insider Marc Stein, the Bulls are prepared for White to push for a four-year contract (subscription required) next summer that would earn him more than $30 million annually in free agency, and this would've been a nightmare for the Mavericks to deal with following Cooper Flagg's rookie season.
Dallas wisely avoided a financial trap with Coby White
"The Bulls, of course, are bracing amid the Giddey negotiations for the prospect of Coby White seeking a four-year deal worth more than the $30 million-per-season pact that Giddey has sought when White is the Chicago backcourt cornerstone eligible for a nine-figure deal next summer," Stein reported on Monday.
Giddey obviously signed a four-year, $100 million contract extension on Tuesday, and the Bulls could be forced to cough up even more money next summer when White is eligible for an extension. White would be worth a large contract in free agency, as he is one of the more underrated up-and-coming guards in the NBA, but Dallas doesn't have that type of money to spend next summer.
The Mavs are already poised to be in a financial crunch next summer, especially after they extended P.J. Washington earlier this month, and White being on the roster would've only complicated things even more. Dallas would've had to have been prepared to offer a massive deal to White next summer in order to keep him around, and if they didn't, they would've lost him for nothing.
This wouldn't have been a risk worth taking for Dallas, even with the Bulls shopping him earlier this summer, as they likely would've had to give up multiple first-round picks along with some proven role players to get him. Even if the Mavs did land White in a trade, they would've had to put their money where their mouth is next summer to keep him around, and they would've likely gotten swallowed by the second apron.
Operating above the second apron is an extreme challenge, and if they didn't win a title quickly with that roster, they could be forced to blow things up to escape the restrictions that hamper second-apron teams. That would've been awful for Dallas, as they just made a massive trade for Anthony Davis by sending Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers, and fans couldn't afford to experience another franchise-altering trade next summer.
Regardless of the immediate scoring, energy, athleticism, and backcourt depth White would've provided, trading for him would've been a major gamble right as Flagg begins his career. It's likely better that Dallas didn't make a move for him, as they would've been forced into a financial pickle next summer that no team wants to deal with.
White is definitely worth a big pay day in free agency, but the Mavs don't have the resources to be his perfect match.