Jeff Peterson, Charles Lee Explain Why the Charlotte Hornets Traded for Coby White

After the dust settled on the 2026 NBA trade deadline, Jeff Peterson and Charles Lee took some time to explain the 'why' behind their decision to acquire North Carolina native Coby White. The Charlotte Hornets traded Collin Sexton, Ousmane Dieng, and three second-round picks to bring the former Chicago Bull home, and they believe he is the ideal player to elevate the team's struggling bench.

"He's a guy that plays the game with joy, with passion, you know? He's a winner," said Peterson in front of assembled media at the Spectrum Center on Thursday afternoon.

"He loves to compete, and as you can see, that's what we want to be about here."

The Hornets, riding a seven-game win streak, are competing at a high level on both ends of the floor. Charlotte's defense took a major step forward in the month of January, finishing with the third best defensive rating in the NBA, but Peterson pointed to White's offense as the primary driver for the trade.

"He's a dynamic shooter. His offensive skill set is high level...I think he can really stretch the floor with the shooting, especially shooting off the dribble. He makes it very tough for defenders to guard him. They have to switch up their coverages with him. I think he's an underrated passer."

"We hope that he's going to be a Hornet for a very long time."

Adding White into the fold seemed like a no-brainer from Peterson's perspective, and his head coach, Charles Lee, echoed the sentiment.

"On the court, having gone against him in the playoffs or in regular season games, he's an ultra-competitor. I think that he impacts defensive possessions with his physicality and with his basketball IQ."

"Offensively he's extremely skilled. Able to score for himself, but also able to play off the ball too...Watching some of his film, and talking to Jeff a little bit, I think he's an underrated passer. I think he's going to fit in really well with how fast we want to play."

Both Lee and Peterson are hopeful that White can close the cavernous gap between the way Charlotte looks with LaMelo Ball on and off the floor. Coby White has been über productive as a starting guard, and the gamble for the Hornets is that he is able to have the same impact coming off the bench.

Peterson noted that Coby White has been dealing with a nagging calf injury for the majority of the season, and that the Hornets don't expect to have him in the lineup until after next week's All-Star break.

When he returns, he will bring a necessary dimension to Charlotte's bench that will supercharge attempt at making the playoffs for the first time in a decade.

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