Intriguing NBA Trade Idea Sends Bulls' Top Scorer To The Pistons

A big swing by the Orlando Magic has caused the Detroit Pistons to get urged by many to make a blockbuster deal themselves. As the Eastern Conference is seen as wide open, teams are stacking up and going all-in for the 2025-2026 NBA season.

The Pistons are preaching patience, but they might be too good for that at this point. While making the playoffs wasn’t the team’s primary expectation heading into the 2024-2025 NBA season, the bar was raised when the Pistons clinched the sixth seed.

Next year, the Pistons have an opportunity to go far, but running it back with the same core guys on the roster might not be enough. Recently, Detroit Jock City put together a mock trade, which shows a potential pathway to Chicago Bulls standout, Coby White.

Apr 13, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Coby White (0) drives against Philadelphia 76ers guard Quentin Grimes (5) in the second quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images | Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

What Would the Trade Look Like?

In this hypothetical case, the Pistons would receive White on his own. In exchange, Detroit would give up a 2027 first-round pick, a 2029 first-round pick, the former first-rounder Marcus Sasser, and the veteran forward, Simone Fontecchio.

“In order to take the next step towards true championship contention, the Detroit Pistons must surround Cade Cunningham with more talent. Taking some of the offensive burden off Cunningham will help the Pistons take another leap going forward. While doing so, however, Detroit can't jeopardize its future too much. Therefore, they need to add players who fit the Pistons' core's timeline.”

White’s future in Chicago has been in question for months. He’ll play out the final season of his current deal before hitting the free agency market. At this point, there isn’t much discussion about a potential extension getting done.

There’s no doubt White has been a strong offensive presence for the Bulls. Despite having a down season in 2022-2023, averaging a little under 10 points per game off the bench, White has looked impressive over the past two seasons, putting up 20 points per game on 45 percent shooting from the field and 37 percent shooting from three on 7.5 attempts per game.

In this case, the Pistons would be giving up a rotational piece, who had a disappointing full season in Detroit, in Simone Fontecchio. While Fontecchio was a priority signing for the Pistons last summer, he didn’t live up to the hype after having a strong stint following the 2024 trade deadline.

Marcus Sasser has shown plenty of promise throughout his first two years in the NBA, but the Pistons preferred to utilize plenty of Jaden Ivey behind Cade Cunningham. Although Ivey’s injury opened up more doors for Sasser, a trade for Dennis Schroder pushed Sasser back once again.

The thought of Sasser and two first-rounders could be intriguing to the Bulls if they don’t plan to retain White, but Chicago has been trying to avoid the rebuilding class as of late. That’s not to say the Bulls can’t change their mind, but for the time being, they continue to see Coby White as a core member of their roster.

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