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Coby White is done in Chicago.
The Bulls dealt both White and Mike Conley Jr. to the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday afternoon, one day ahead of the trade deadline, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania. In exchange, the Hornets are sending Collin Sexton and three second-round draft picks to Chicago.
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The Bulls are also receiving Ousmane Dieng in the deal. Dieng was a member of the Oklahoma City Thunder, but he was dealt to the Hornets earlier on Wednesday in exchange for Mason Plumlee, according to The Stein Line’s Jake Fischer. The Bulls will receive the least-favorable second-round pick between the Hornets and the Denver Nuggets in 2029, and then two second-round picks in 2031, according to longtime NBA reporter Zach Lowe.
The Bulls made the move ahead of Thursday’s NBA trade deadline after fortifying their backcourt in two other trades. The Bulls previously traded wing Kevin Huerter in a deal that returned Jaden Ivey from the Detroit Pistons and Conley from the Minnesota Timberwolves. They also acquired Anfernee Simons in the trade that sent center Nikola Vučević to the Boston Celtics.
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The moves left the Bulls with an imbalanced roster and a glut in the backcourt featuring Josh Giddey, Tre Jones and Ayo Dosunmu in addition to White, Ivey and Simons. The moves ultimately made White expendable, and the Bulls have moved on from their starting guard who’s been a fixture in their backcourt since they selected him as a lottery pick in the 2019 NBA Draft.
White developed into a scoring leader for the Bulls in his last three seasons with averages of 19.1, 20.5 and 18.5 points per game. He’s a career 36.8% shooter from the 3-point line and has averaged 4.9 assists per game since becoming a full-time starter in 2023-24.
Injuries have limited White to 29 games this season. He’s averaged 18.6 points and 4.7 assists while committing a career-high three turnovers per game when he’s available.
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Conley, who never suited up for the Bulls, has averaged 4.4 points and 2.9 assists per game this season largely off the bench for Minnesota. It’s unclear if the Hornets will keep Conley. Though if he is bought out, he could return to Minnesota on a minimum deal since he has now been traded twice. Conley is in the final year of a two-year, $20.7 million contract and will be a free agent this summer.
The Bulls ultimately decided it was time for a change in the backcourt with White playing on an expiring contract. Barring an extension, White is slated to become a free agent in the offseason.