The Charlotte Hornets are being predicted to make an expensive move after swinging a huge trade.
The Charlotte Hornets completed a significant trade on Wednesday, acquiring guard Coby White in a major deal with the Chicago Bulls.
The Hornets sent Collin Sexton, Ousmane Dieng and three second-round draft picks to the Bulls in exchange for White, who is on an expiring contract.
So why did Charlotte — which is 23-28 on the season — trade for a player in the final year of his deal?
Well, ESPN's Bobby Marks thinks the Hornets plan on re-signing White this summer.
"I'm not going to say this is for the playoff run, but I think this is more for a move to re-sign him in the offseason," Marks said.
White is expected to land $25-30 million a year in free agency, so it's entirely possible that Charlotte will have to pay White a five-year, $150 million contract.
Is that something that would be advisable for the Hornets?
Clearly, Charlotte is building something. It has been one of the best teams in basketball in recent weeks, and it has a very impressive stable of young talent.
Coby White. Credit: Michael McLoone-Imagn Images.Evidently, the Hornets really like White's potential and feel he could be a significant piece of the puzzle moving forward.
White is averaging 18.6 points, 4.7 assists and 3.7 rebounds over 29.1 minutes per game on 43.8/34.6/80.5 shooting splits this season.
The 25-year-old missed extensive time earlier in the year due to a calf injury and has been very inconsistent throughout the campaign, but perhaps a change of scenery is best for White.
White was originally selected by the Bulls with the seventh overall pick of the 2019 NBA Draft and vacillated between the starting lineup and the bench over his first four seasons. He then became a full-time starter in 2023-24 and proceeded to break out, registering 19.1 points and 5.1 assists on 44.7/37.6/83.8 splits.
The University of North Carolina product then posted a career-high 20.4 points per game while managing a true-shooting percentage of 60.1 percent last season.
It will be interesting to see how White fits alongside of LaMelo Ball in Charlotte's backcourt. It seems like a rather awkward match, but perhaps Hornets head coach Charles Lee can find a way to make it work long term.
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