Despite the Injury, the Hornets Made the Right Decision to Trade for Coby White

The Charlotte Hornets traded for Coby White before the NBA trade deadline, but he has yet to play. A nagging calf injury is supposed to keep him out through the All-Star Break.

So in the meantime, the Hornets are not operating with a full deck. They lost Collin Sexton in the deal, which means Tre Mann is the backup point guard, and he's been pretty horrendous this year (Tyus Jones would be helpful right now, but I digress).

There's certainly reason to believe that having either White or Sexton would've helped them overcome a six-point deficit against the Detroit Pistons, the team that snapped Charlotte's nine-game winning streak.

Furthermore, with Miles Bridges and Moussa Diabaté set to be suspended, depth without White is really nonexistent. He can't play down low, but a healthy body would be nice right now.

As a result, there's been plenty of outrage about trading a healthy Sexton for an injured White, especially with White's contractual days numbered. It's important to note that Charlotte didn't make this deal for the immediate handful of games, though.

Chicago Bulls guard Collin Sexton (2) drives to the basket against Brooklyn Nets forward Ziaire Williams | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Barring an extension, White will hit free agency this summer. If he does return after the break, he has a maximum of 27 contests in a Hornets uniform. Still, missing a few early on isn't the end of the world. The Hornets got him for a postseason push, first and foremost, which can and will happen after the break.

There is some chatter that the Hornets plan to extend White or at least re-sign him, which would make all of this moot anyway. If they keep him, then the three or so games he missed right away matter very little.

And while depth does matter, it's important to contextualize Sexton. He was certainly capable of having good games and his stats were solid, but the Hornets were 6.3 points worse with him on the floor. He wasn't exactly winning games for the Hornets.

I think the answer is pretty clear. The Hornets wanted White for the playoff run but also for 2027 and beyond. The key lies in the amended return. White had an injury pop up that concerned the Hornets, so they amended the deal.

I am not privy to the conversations between the two teams or the medical report, but after what we saw with Mark Williams last trade deadline, it's certainly plausible that if the Hornets were going to lose White for a long time, they might've rescinded the deal.

Amending it by removing just one measly second-round pick means that the Hornets probably don't think that he's going to be out very long, nor do they think he's purely a 30-game rental at this point.

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