This former North Carolina Tar Heels star could be on the move before the NBA trade deadline.
It hasn't been an easy season for former North Carolina Tar Heels star Coby White, who has been in and out of the lineup for the Chicago Bulls all year due to a calf injury.
White has also been the subject of rampant trade speculation since the summer, and with the NBA trade deadline looming, the Bulls are looking to move the impending free agent.
One potential destination for White? The Minnesota Timberwolves.
Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times has reported that Chicago has engaged in White trade discussions with the Timberwolves and that while "talks have cooled a bit" after White's agent said that the North Carolina product plans to explore free agency, "they haven't gone away."
White has played in 18 games this season, averaging 18.6 points and 4.5 assists over 28 minutes a night on 45.0/31.7/80.0 shooting splits.
The 25-year-old spent one year at Chapel Hill in 2018-19, registering 16.1 points and 4.1 assists per game before being selected by the Bulls with the seventh overall pick of the 2019 NBA Draft.
Chicago Bulls guard Coby White. Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images.White's professional career got off to an inconsistent start, as he vacillated back and forth between the starting lineup and the bench for Chicago over his first several campaigns.
The Goldsboro, N.C. native finally became a full-time starter in 2023-24 and had a breakout season, recording 19.1 points, 5.1 assists and 4.5 rebounds per game while shooting 44.7 percent from the floor and 37.6 percent from three-point range.
White then posted a career-high 20.4 points per game last year on 45.3/37.0/90.2 shooting splits, managing an impressive true-shooting percentage of 60.1 percent.
The ex-Tar Heels guard finally appeared to be on the upswing after the last couple of seasons and was headed toward a rather big pay day in free agency, but his tough start to the 2025-26 campaign has almost certainly damaged his value.
The general expectation is that White will be dealt before the deadline next month, but the Bulls do not stand to reap much of a return due to his contract status.
Surely, a contending team — like Minnesota, for example — would like to take a chance on White, but perhaps Chicago would actually feel more comfortable keeping White and then trying to retain him on an affordable contract this coming offseason.