List of Coby White Suitors May Be Taking Shape for Chicago Bulls

A list of suitors for the Chicago Bulls' hottest trade chip is coming together.

As the team sits two games below .500 with the trade deadline inching closer, all eyes remain on the availability of Coby White. The talented scoring guard has been in rumors since last season, as his contract situation makes him a prime candidate to be moved.

White is currently playing in the final year of his cost-effective three-year, $36.0 million deal. The cheap price tag has made it impossible for the Bulls to offer him an extension that would meet his expected payday in the open market. With that in mind, the option is either to risk losing him for nothing in unrestricted free agency or to find a trade partner in the coming weeks. The latter sounds like the safest path, particularly as most suitors emerge for White's services. The more teams willing to talk business, the more the Bulls may be able to get in return.

Up until now, the Minnesota Timberwolves have been the most talked-about team for White. Reports surfaced earlier this season that they checked in on the guard and would prefer to add a new ball-handler sooner rather than later. Minnesota is also a team that can very easily make a deal work, whether it be financially or simply in terms of having assets that Chicago could be interested in. We all know the Bulls have preferred buying low on young talent in recent years, and the Timberwolves have former first-rounders Rob Dillingham and Terrance Shannon Jr. sitting on the bench.

Along with Minnesota, the Dallas Mavericks have become a popular name to tie to White. While there has been less direct reporting about their potential interest, the fit makes a lot of sense, which has led fans and analysts alike to do plenty of speculating.

The same goes for the Atlanta Hawks, who may be on the verge of trading Trae Young. With a hole potentially opening up soon at lead guard, White feels like someone who could slide into their system and make an immediate impact. Likewise, he would continue to align with their current youth movement around Jalen Johnson, Dyson Daniels, and Onyeka Okongwu.

Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints recently reiterated the interest of all three organizations in White, sharing that Chicago does continue to field calls for the guard. However, those aren't the only teams reportedly in the mix. Siegel listed one other Western Conference squad in his list of potential White suitors – the Los Angeles Clippers.

Clippers Now Showing Interest in Coby White?

Coby White of the Chicago Bulls — Feb 26, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Coby White (0) passes the ball past LA Clippers forward Nicolas Batum (33) during the second half at the United Center. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images | Matt Marton-Imagn Images

To be clear, Brett Siegel didn't elaborate much on the Los Angeles Clippers' attraction to White, but he did include them alongside Atlanta, Minnesota, and Dallas. As far as I'm aware, this is the first time we have seen them mentioned as a potential landing spot. The Athletic's Sam Vecenie did include LA on his list of "best fits" for the Bulls' guard, but he did not share word of any concrete interest.

All things considered, the fit isn't as obvious as it would be for the other three teams. James Harden remains the focal point of that backcourt, and he continues to put together a pretty strong season, averaging 25.7 points per game and 8.0 assists.

At the same time, Los Angeles' backcourt depth is extremely weak, especially after Bradley Beal went down with a season-ending left hip injury. He was signed to take some pressure off Harden and give the team a more proven scoring threat to stagger into their second unit. I think it's safe to say that is a role that White could easily fill for a team trying to turn its season around.

While the Clippers have gotten off to a slow 13-22 start, they have played a lot better in recent weeks with a healthy Kawhi Leonard. They are 7-3 in their last ten games and now hold a Top 12 offense in the NBA. White would only strengthen that side of the ball and give them someone to lean on in the event that either Harden or Leonard has to miss time. Aside from some of his early-season injury trouble this season, White has been very durable throughout his career. He has played in 74 games in each of the last three seasons.

It also might not hurt the Clippers to begin adding a few more younger pieces. Harden and Leonard's days in LA may be numbered, and White would give them a bridge piece to re-sign in the offseason and build with moving forward. There is a world where the combination of him and defensive-minded big man Ivica Zubac can help anchor a solid two-way attack.

So what might a trade look like? To be honest, it's not a particularly easy deal to make work. While I could see the Bulls potentially having interest in young big man Yanic Konan Niederhauser, I'm not sure what other salary they would be willing to take on. Maybe the Bulls would be willing to take Bogdan Bogdanovic off their hands? He is technically an expiring contract, as they could decline his player option for next season at roughly $16.0 million.

If one thing is for sure, the Bulls are likely demanding two first-rounders in that deal or at least one fully unprotected pick. The Clippers remain rather scarce in that department, with only a 2030, 2031, and 2032 in their back pocket. Giving up a first-rounder that far in the future is a big-time risk, especially for an aging team.

I'm just not sure I see the path toward a deal with LA. If there are several other suitors out there, it feels safe to assume the Bulls would prefer those packages over whatever the Clippers can muster (unless they are throwing the unprotected pick on the table). But, hey, the mere fact that they are reportedly showing interest is good news for the Bulls. You can't start a bidding war without multiple bidders!

Heads up, you can now make Bulls On SI and Sports Illustrated a preferred source on Google News right here! All you have to do is check the box, and your personal feed should be updated regularly with all our best content.