Coby White has been out since his trade to the Charlotte Hornets as he recovers from a calf strain, but he could make his return in an arena he is quite comfortable in....
Former Chicago Bulls guard Coby White has been out since the NBA Trade Deadline deal that sent him to the Charlotte Hornets as he recovers from a calf strain, but he could make his return in an arena he is quite comfortable in. White is listed "probable" on the Charlotte injury report, meaning he is almost certain to make his Hornets debut in Chicago at the United Center.
White is averaging 18.6 PPG, 3.7 rebounds, 4.7 assists, and while his accuracy from deep isn't up to his usual standards--he's at 3.6% from 3-point range on 7.2 attempts per game--he is having a career-best year in terms of getting to the charity stripe. The 6-foot-5 guard out of North Carolina is averaging 5.3 free throw attempts per game.
White's ability to be a true offensive threat from beyond the arc, in the midrange area, in the pick-and-roll game, and inside the paint, makes him about as complete and well-rounded of a scorer as you can find from the guard spot.
The Hornets have surprised as of late, currently sitting at the No. 10 spot in the standings. Charlotte has won 7 of their last 10 games at the time of this writing and look almost certain to finish as one of the last two Play-In teams.
Meanwhile, Chicago has went the opposite direction. The Bulls have lost 9 of their last 10 games and have clearly focused more on NBA Draft Lottery odds, where they currently sit at 9th, with a 20.3% chance at a Top-4 pick and a 4.5% chance at the No. 1 overall pick.
Chicago presumably didn't want to pay White's next contract, which even with his uneven play this season, will see him get a considerable and well-deserved raise. The Bulls just last offseason signed Josh Giddey to a four-year, $100 million pact, and it will be intriguing to see if White commands a similar deal.
While the Bulls didn't want to shell out big bucks to secure the White-Giddey backcourt pairing, the Hornets clearly don't have an issue with signing White regardless of what his role is on the team. At the very least, Charlotte was excited about the prospect of White helping them make a real postseason push for just this season.
Even if the Hornets suffered the worst-case scenario of White leaving in the offseason for another club, they would be able to seek solace in the fact that they only gave up Collin Sexton, Ousmane Dieng, and a pair of second round picks--amended from three 2nd round picks due to medical reports showing the severity of White's calf injury--to secure his talents for the second half of the 2025-26 season.
It is, of course, not yet known if White will start in the backcourt with LaMelo Ball. All signs point to him coming off of the bench against the Bulls on Tuesday, as the Hornets have a solid group that they likely won't want to disrupt. It will be fascinating on Tuesday to see how White and his new squad matchup against Chicago's new guard group.