Coby White, Charlotte Hornets
If you are a promising young guard in the NBA, the chances are that the Chicago Bulls involved you in a trade at the 2026 deadline. It started with bringing in Anfernee Simons from Boston. They acquired Jaden Ivey from the Pistons. And now, in their latest move, they added Collin Sexton from the Hornets.
More trades involving Chicago are still happening, as they just traded their longest-tenured player. Seven seasons in the Windy City later, and Coby White is on his way out. He is going to the Hornets with Mike Conley in exchange for three second-round picks, Ousmane Dieng, and the aforementioned Sexton.
Charlotte was one of the best teams in the month of January, and now in the midst of their seven-game winning streak, they swung to acquire their sixth man.
Let’s talk more about what White is going to bring to his new team.
Adding Coby White a Real Home Run for Hornets
It has been a long time since the Hornets were active buyers at the trade deadline. They have finally made a move to support winning, and it could not have come at a better time.
Coby White has had some big games with the Bulls over the years. In each of the past three seasons, he has averaged at least 18 points per game, taking his game up a level in his larger role. A guy who can fill it up as a scorer, he played a big part in a large chunk of Chicago’s wins in this timeframe.
Charlotte has posted an impressive 13-1 record with the starting lineup of LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller, Kon Knueppel, Miles Bridges, and Moussa Diabate. The team has started to find their winning recipe as their top players are finally healthy at the same time. A consistent scoring punch off the bench was the one thing the team has been missing.
Collin Sexton had been solid in limited minutes, but a guy like White brings a little more to the table on both ends of the floor. He put up 21 points and 10 rebounds against the Bucks last night in what proved to be his final game in Chicago.
White is going to be the perfect backup for LaMelo Ball, also likely drawing some spot starts if the point guard needs some rest. He can play both on and off-ball just fine, and should complement whoever he’s playing next to.
Coby White’s Next Chapter
Coby White appeared in 451 regular season, and five playoff games during his six and-a-half seasons with the Chicago Bulls. Just like the Cavs with Darius Garland, they’re saying goodbye to a guy that has been with the squad since the 2019 NBA Draft.
It was certainly a special pairing between these two, as he had some magnificent moments in Chicago. But all things come to an end eventually, and with all the new guards the team has been bringing in, it was only a matter of time before White got sent to another team.
As the first one off the bench in Charlotte, White will play an integral role in jumpstarting the second unit. Whenever somebody has to miss a game with an injury or for rest, he’ll be a candidate to fill-in. Having played in so many different spots previously, he’ll serve this team well.
Best of luck to White on his new squad. Charlotte is getting a great one.