Will the Chicago Bulls hold onto White at the trade deadline?
It's been a difficult season for Coby White, but his perseverance seems to have finally started to pay off.
The Bulls guard has battled a right calf injury since the late summer, and additional setbacks have derailed his ability to make a full recovery. Because of this, White has been in and out of the lineup, leaving him largely unable to find a rhythm.
Through 19 games this season, White had shot a career-worst 31.5% from deep — a dismal figure, given that White had not shot below 37.0% since his second NBA season in 2020-21.
But finally, White has turned the corner. White shot 7-of-11 from three-point range against Brooklyn on Sunday and followed it up with a 6-of-10 performance against the Clippers on Tuesday.
A fourth-quarter heat check was the highlight of White's most recent game, a 138-110 win over L.A. White connected from long range on four consecutive possessions, capping off his hot streak with a 32-foot bomb.
No. 0 scored 15 of his 27 points in the final frame on Tuesday behind five three-pointers on six attempts. The breakthrough outing was a pleasant sight for Bulls head coach Billy Donovan, who has been alongside White for every step of his journey.
"I'm just happy for him, because it's been a long road back for him," Donovan said after the win over the Clippers. "Just to see him every day put the work in, going to get treatment, doing what he can do, getting on the floor, trying to work on the things that will help his rhythm... It was hard. I'm just happy for him because I'm around him and I see how hard he works and how invested he is in the team. I've got great respect for him. He just puts his head down, grinds and works every day."
Unfortunately for White, he and the Bulls seem to be headed for a divorce. The seventh-year guard is set to be an unrestricted free agent this summer, and if he leaves for another team, Chicago would be left with nothing.
NBA insiders and analysts have speculated that White could be on the move ahead of the league's Feb. 5 trade deadline. Western Conference teams fighting for playoff positioning, such as the Warriors and Timberwolves, are the most likely landing spots, but it will likely be very difficult for Chicago to part with their former first-round pick, who has grown and developed through multiple eras of Bulls basketball.