Making the Case For & Against Coby White Extension Following Hornets Trade

The Charlotte Hornets made a move at the deadline, and it wasn't to stockpile assets. It's a little unexpected, but it is certainly not unwarranted. The bugs are scorching hot now, and the front office clearly thinks they can make a little noise. They probably can.

Jeff Peterson sent Mason Plumlee to Oklahoma City for Ousmane Dieng, who he then included along with Collin Sexton and future second-round picks for Chicago Bulls guard Coby White.

The 2nd-rounders Charlotte is sending to Chicago in the Coby White deal, per sources: least favorable of Charlotte/Denver in 2029; NYK 2031; Denver 2031.
— Zach Lowe (@ZachLowe_NBA) February 4, 2026

White, like Sexton, is on an expiring contract, and with his track record, he's due for a pretty substantial payday. That's part of why the Bulls traded him. They likely weren't going to meet his asking price.

White could've landed a $30 million AAV contract or one totaling over $100 million. Either way, he was set to cash in after steady improvement turned him into a borderline All-Star. Can the Hornets afford him? Should they?

The case for a Coby White extension

Chicago Bulls guard Coby White (0) drives to the basket against Milwaukee Bucks guard AJ Green | Michael McLoone-Imagn Images

The case for the extension is pretty simple. The Hornets clearly value him. There was always a chance the Hornets just kept Collin Sexton, and there was chatter about a possible extension, so they never felt he was strictly a rental.

However, when it became clear it wasn't working out quite like they'd hoped, they obviously did not plan to do either of those things. Instead, they flipped him for an upgrade in Coby White. If the Hornets had ever considered keeping/extending Sexton, why wouldn't they be considering the same for White?

This ultimately depends on how he performs, but as long as his performance doesn't change, the Hornets will be better, and it'd be hard to justify letting an extremely valuable sixth man and backup guard go, especially when your starting point guard has a history of injuries and is on a minutes restriction.

Sure, $30 million or even $25 million is tough to swallow, but the Hornets are projected to have $36 million in cap space next year. They can get creative and do some other things to make more, but either way, White won't take everything up.

Brandon Miller is up for an extension, which he's almost guaranteed to get. That will cost and eat into the salary cap, but again, Jeff Peterson can get creative with front or backloading deals. He's proven to be a highly capable executive.

Other than that, there aren't any significant financial hurdles here, and if White and the Hornets prove to be a good duo (and if they can make some postseason noise), I don't see why either side wouldn't want to keep things going.

The case against

Chicago Bulls guard Coby White (0) reacts to a call | Peter Creveling-Imagn Images

I alluded to this in my case-for segment, but White is going to cost a good amount. His numbers will dip coming off the bench, although not by much, since he'll still get plenty of minutes. The value isn't going to change much.

The Hornets have been pretty shrewd, and with Miller's extension coming up this offseason, I'm just not sure the front office will want to swallow two major deals in one offseason, especially if/when they don't exactly make a deep run in the playoffs.

There will likely be plenty of suitors for White, which could drive up the price. He's an unrestricted free agent, so there's nothing necessarily tying him to the Hornets. The Hornets undoubtedly value Miller more than White, and they're probably ready to extend him before his price jumps even higher.

The Hornets have been very future-oriented, and nothing about this screams win-now mode. It's a nice upgrade, but it's not a move that will come back to haunt them if they can't keep White.

Because they only gave up Mason Plumlee, Sexton, and some future second-round picks that aren't that valuable, there isn't as much pressure to keep him, like there would be if they'd traded for Giannis Antetokounmpo or some other superstar.

Peterson and company have been very careful, and spending big on a bench player doesn't fit their MO.

- MORE STORIES FROM CHARLOTTE HORNETS ON SI -

Charlotte Hornets Updated Depth Chart After Coby White Trade

Hornets Strike First Deal of Trade Deadline, Landing Former First-Round Pick From Bulls

Charlotte Hornets Could Be Playing a Dangerous Game at the Trade Deadline

What the Hornets Actually Need at the Trade Deadline — And What They Don't