The Chicago Bulls are now 9-10 on the year following a third consecutive embarrassing loss last night. This time it was at the hands of the previously 3-16 Indiana Pacers. Before that, they dropped decisions against the 4-14 Charlotte Hornets and the 2-15 New Orleans Pelicans. What was supposed to be a cruise-control, confidence-building stretch following their gauntlet of games a few weeks ago has turned into a disaster. One thing that has been revealed in the process is that all of Chicago’s issues have been magnified and accelerated following the addition of Coby White. Before he joined the lineup and things were going swimmingly, trade chatter surrounded the former Tar Heel guard due to the Bulls’ success without him. Do those chats need to be revisited?
The Bulls Have Been Much Worse With Coby White
As much as Coby White has contributed over the past several seasons, and remains the most potent three-point shooter on the roster, his addition this season marked the beginning of the downfall of the Chicago Bulls. When he’s played, the team is 2-3. Their two wins have come by one point, at the buzzer each time, against a 6-8 Portland Trail Blazers team, and a 1-14 league-worst Washington Wizards. Chicago deserved to lose both games. Their three losses have been at the hands of the 5-7 Utah Jazz, the 2-15 New Orleans Pelicans, and the 4-14 Charlotte Hornets. They were two buzzer-beating buckets away from being 0-5 with White in the lineup against teams of six wins or less. Has he derailed the Chicago Bulls?
Time to have that painful conversation:
The Bulls should trade Coby White.
With Ayo, Tre, and Giddey running the 3 guard rotation, might be time to flip Coby for an athletic big man.
Coby’s contract ends after this season. pic.twitter.com/mv9QrEmuwi
— Die-Hard Chicago Bulls Fans (@Bullsfans) October 28, 2025
Chicago’s assist numbers have declined since his arrival, as has the diversity of scorers. His shooting numbers have not been efficient enough to support his volume; he’s only converting at a 44.7% rate from the field and 34.1% from three-point range on 17 field goal attempts per night. Does his ball-dominant play style and the unlimited green light he receives offensively hurt the Bulls overall?
One Step Forward, Two Steps Back
Early in the season, the perimeter consisted of Isaac Okoro, Josh Giddey, and Tre Jones. Matas Buzelis occupied the power forward, and Nikola Vucevic manned the middle. With this lineup, and Ayo Dosunmu and Jevon Carter coming off the bench, Chicago’s guards were all either above-average defenders or above-average size, so they could switch, help rebound, and contribute in other ways. Less dribble penetration meant fewer free-roaming attackers to the rim, which translated to requiring less from Vucevic, the least athletic and defensively skilled big man in the NBA.
After adding White back into the lineup, there’s at least one sore spot at all times. Coupling his weak defense with Giddey’s below-average skills on that end makes for a bloodbath in the backcourt. Having one weak defender can be fine when shadowed by a surrounding unit that can hide the weak link, but now with White, Giddey, and Vucevic often in the same lineup, the Bulls are the worst defensive team in basketball.
The Chicago Bulls are the first team in 35 YEARS to give up 120+ points in 11 consecutive games.
😬😬🙄 pic.twitter.com/bsET238rVJ
— BullsMuse (@BullsMuse_) November 29, 2025
As difficult as it is to say, Coby White may need to be evaluated on a deeper level. While he remains the best and most potent offensive player on the team, something has clearly gone terribly wrong since he joined a red-hot Chicago Bulls team.