INSTANT GRADE: Chicago Bulls Trade Coby White to the Charlotte Hornets for More Picks

The Chicago Bulls have found a new home for Coby White.

After months of rumors that suggested the 25-year-old guard could be on the move, Tuesday's trade action all but confirmed his exit. The Bulls acquired both Jaden Ivey and Anfernee Simons in two separate transactions that suggested a great roster overhaul was coming. White has long felt like the potential odd man out due to his lingering contract situation and the Bulls' decision to pay Josh Giddey long-term this past summer.

White will now head back to his home state of North Carolina and suit up for the Charlotte Hornets, per ESPN's Shams Charania. The organization currently sits one game behind the Bulls in the East standings and now looks primed to make a push for the Play-In Tournament with White in the fold. The Hornets have gone 8-2 in their last ten games with one of the NBA's best offenses. White will only give them more explosiveness on that side of the ball.

Here are the trade details:

Bulls get: Collin Sexton, Ousmane Dieng, 2029 second-round pick (least favorable CHA/DEN), 2031 second-round pick (NYK), 2031 second-round pick (DEN)
Hornets get: Coby White, Mike Conley

Zach Lowe was the first to have the second-round capital included. It's also worth noting that Ousmane Dieng has most recently played for the Oklahoma City Thunder, but the Hornets acquired him and a second-rounder in a deal with the Thunder for Mason Plumlee before rerouting him to Chicago, per Charania.

Grading the Chicago Bulls' Coby White Trade

Coby White of the Chicago Bulls — Feb 1, 2026; Miami, Florida, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Coby White (0) looks to pass as Miami Heat guard Davion Mitchell (45) defends during the first half at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images | Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

They can't all be winners.

After making three straight savvy deals for young players and draft capital, Arturas Karnisovas made another go at it on Wednesday afternoon. On the one hand, adding three more second-round picks is meaningful. The Bulls now have 10 at their disposal, adding a total of five over this last week alone. Second-rounders have become far more valuable across the league in recent years, as we have increasingly seen them used to sweeten bigger deals.

The Bulls are also able to keep their financial flexibility with this transaction. Both Collin Sexton and Ousmane Dieng are currently on expiring contracts. Sexton will likely walk in the coming months (if he's not flipped again), while the Bulls could look to re-sign Dieng. Indeed, adding him continues to follow the mold of pursuing former lottery picks in need of a change of scenery. OKC selected the now 22-year-old Dieng with the No. 11 pick in the 2022 NBA Draft. He has never played more than 39 games in his career and sure wasn't on his way toward legitimate playing time on the Thunder's win-now roster.

Chicago can now at least give him the runway to flash his intriguing skillset. Dieng is a big man with potential perimeter skills and shotmaking ability. The small sample size has made it hard to project the player he can become at this level, but the Bulls are clearly banking on the pre-draft intrigue.

Nevertheless, the crux of this deal is essentially three second-round picks for White. And that's a pretty big bummer. For weeks, we heard the Bulls were struggling to get their hands on a first-round pick for White, as he is expected to get a significant payday as soon as this offseason. The fact that he also experienced some injury trouble this season sure wasn't helping boost his value.

Still, what this trade return serves as a reminder of is Chicago's delay in finding a trade partner. White is worth more than three second-round picks, but they simply waited too long to pull the trigger and diminished his value. Let's also be honest: White is an extremely fun talent and a great locker room presence. While it's understandable that the Bulls wanted to finally turn a page, moving on from him is a tough pill to swallow.

GRADE: C-