Should the Chicago Bulls Consider This Fake Three-Team Coby White Trade?

Trade talks are just around the corner for the Chicago Bulls.

The Bulls have long been destined for a rumor-filled season. The team has seven players currently on expiring deals, including multiple starting-level contributors. Keeping each one of those players on the roster ahead of 2026 free agency would make little sense from both a business and team-building perspective. Not only is it important to avoid losing a player for nothing any chance you can, but the Bulls also sit at a lackluster 9-14 on the season.

In other words, as currently constructed, this roster isn't trending toward accomplishing anything meaningful. And that means the front office should be open to essentially everything and anything as February nears.

Coby White has become the team's most talked-about trade chip. A seemingly ever-improving scorer who is still only 25 years old, it feels as if a handful of organizations would be willing to jump the free agency line to acquire the guard. To be sure, there is a case to make that keeping White would be beneficial to the Bulls' youth movement. But they also just handed Josh Giddey a $100 million deal to be their lead ballhandler of the future.

White could potentially demand $30+ million a year this summer for his services. While he may very well be worth that price tag, whether or not the Bulls should be the ones to pay it is a frustratingly valid question. Can they afford to pay their young backcourt $50+ million a year without any postseason proof of concept? Is now a natural time to go in a different direction?

If one thing is for sure, we are bound to see White thrown into plenty of fake trades in the coming weeks, particularly with the Bulls' season in a downward spiral. In fact, the most recent pitch comes from one of the most popular NBA voices out there.

Bill Simmons of The Ringer tossed out a three-team trade on his latest podcast that he believes could solve several problems. Let's try to give it a grade from a Chicago Bulls perspective, shall we?

Bill Simmons' Fake Chicago Bulls Trade

Chicago Bulls: Jonathan Kuminga
Golden State Warriors: Daniel Gafford + Expiring Contracts
Dallas Mavericks: Coby White

Grade for Chicago Bulls: C+

First things first, the Dallas Mavericks come out as the main winner here. All signs point toward this organization moving on from Anthony Davis and taking a step back to build around No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg. Assuming White agrees to ink a fresh deal with Dallas, they would add a dependable on-and-off ball scorer who should work extremely well next to the versatile Flagg. More importantly, White could still fit rather nicely into Flagg's timeline while still having an immediate winning impact.

Gafford to Golden State would also check a lot of boxes. The team has been in obvious need of a more established big man for the past several seasons. Gafford would offer them a level of athleticism and rim protection they haven't had in the frontcourt for quite some time. The team is also dead last in the NBA in points in the paint. Gafford may not be a high-volume scoring threat, but he remains one of the most efficient finishers in the NBA. Throw it up to him, and he'll flush it in.

As for the Bulls, they end up landing a player they have been connected to multiple times in the past. With the team entering a youth movement at last season's trade deadline, many have thought that Chicago could be the organization to take a gamble on Kuminga. Likewise, he does seem to coincide with the kind of player this front office has recently targeted.

Kuminga is a six-foot-seven wing with great length, explosiveness, and open-floor playmaking ability. Picturing him creating highlight plays with Josh Giddey and Co. in transition is easy to do. Plus, he would give Chicago another player who can attack defenses off the bounce and get to the free-throw line consistently. The defensive upside is also undeniable. The Bulls have been a mess on this end of the floor, and Kuminga would instantly become one of their better options with his combination of size and quickness.

So what's the problem? Kuminga has been incredibly inconsistent during his time in Golden State and has struggled to stay on the floor. While some have pointed fingers at Steve Kerr, the mere fact that an organization as respected as Golden State has failed to show trust in Kuminga is ... concerning. The Bulls also have to be somewhat conscious of Matas Buzelis and Noa Essengue. Two wings who need room to develop, adding someone with potential ball-stopping tendencies like Kuminga could work directly against that.

Jonathan Kuminga of the Golden State Warriors — Nov 29, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga (1) controls the ball in front of New Orleans Pelicans guard Jeremiah Fears (0) during the third quarter at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: John Hefti-Imagn Images | John Hefti-Imagn Images

Kuminga is also going to be in need of a new contract very soon. He signed a two-year, $46.8 million deal this offseason to stay with the Warriors. The second year of that contract is a team option at $24.3 million. If Chicago is acquiring Kuminga for someone like White, the plan is obviously going to be to pick up that option and attempt to work out a longer-term deal. So the Bulls would have to become confident that Kuminga can be a winning part of their future core relatively quickly.

On the one hand, the Bulls should be in the business of acquiring young talent. If the plan isn't to re-sign White, they could do a lot worse than adding someone with Kuminga's sheer upside. Especially when we consider how dramatic things have been in Golden State, there is a real chance that a change of scenery leads to the kind of Kuminga breakout many have expected.

This also might be one of the better returns you can get for White. As impressive as Bulls fans find him to be, the fact that he is due for a big payday this summer is going to work against Chicago in trade discussions. The hope for some has likely been that the Bulls could target draft capital and a young player, but that might be difficult under the circumstances.

On the other hand, Kuminga isn't some sort of inexpensive gamble. He is already more expensive than White, and the Bulls would have only one more season before likely having to pay him a generous new salary. The front office has already started to load up on young wings that need developmental minutes, too. The last thing you want is to stunt the growth of Matas Buzelis or crowd the rotation for Noa Essengue down the road.

This is ultimately why I landed on a C+. The Bulls would at least add someone who is still incredibly young and is widely considered to have untapped two-way potential. At the same time, some of what has gone on in Golden State can be viewed as a pretty big red flag, and there is a chance for another massive overpay to be on the cap sheet soon.