NBA Mock Trade: Houston Rockets Acquire Chicago Bulls Coby White In Guard Swap Trade
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New names continue to pop up as the Feb. 5 NBA trade deadline nears. One of the latest names to emerge in trade rumor talks is guard for the Chicago Bulls, Coby White.
The seventh-year player out of the University of North Carolina is having a great season. He is averaging 18.8 PPG, while shoting 45.2% from the field and 36.6% from three on 7.2 attempts per game. Despite these impressive stats, the idea of the Bulls moving on from him does make some sense. With just one year left on his contract, and a little bit of overlap in play with Josh Giddey, who is an effective primary runner of the offense, White feels more than expendable. One team that could be a potential suitor of White, if a trade were to get done, is the Houston Rockets.
Houston Rockets-Chicago Bulls NBA Mock Trade
Rockets Receive:
PG Coby White
SF Julian Phillips
Bulls Receive:
PG Reed Sheppard
SF Tari Eason
Why This Trade Makes Sense For The Rockets
The Rockets, although having a couple of young cornerstone players on their roster—Alperen Sengun (23) and Amen Thompson (22)-- are in a window to win a championship right now. Moving on from other young pieces, Tari Eason and Reed Sheppard, is a difficult decision, but it is the right one. This team, with a surplus of big wings, is in desperate need of a primary PG, and they got that in White in this mock deal. Sheppard may end up being better than White down the road, but with a 37-year-old Kevin Durant, there is no time to wait. White raises the ceiling of this team right now, helping to increase their chances of winning a title.
The Rockets, in filling in for Eason’s production, who averaged 11.9 PPG and 6.2 RPG, will turn to the many other wings on their roster. A couple of these wings who would likely see an increase in their role are veterans Josh Okogie and Dorian Finney-Smith.
Why This Trade Makes Sense For The Bulls
The Bulls will lose a significant scoring threat on their roster, but it is well worth it in this deal. The Bulls this season have been poor defensively. They are allowing the fifth-most points per game in the NBA, 119.8. Swapping out Eason with White in the starting lineup in this mock deal will greatly increase the defensive efficiency of this team. Eason at 6’8”, compared to White’s height of 6’4” will help bring the Bulls' versatility on this side of the ball.
The addition of Sheppard in this mock, who has come off the bench for Houston this season, also slightly lessens the sting of losing White’s scoring abilities. In his second season, Sheppard has shown great potential, averaging 12.6 PPG, while shooting 39.4% from three on 6.2 attempts per game.
Fantasy Basketball Impact of Mock Trade
Coby White’s production if this deal were to go down would ebb and flow. His shots per game likely would tick down, but his assists per game should rise. This is due to playing next to multiple players on the Rockets' roster who can create their own shot.
Eason is the biggest winner in this mock. He would likely see a shot increase being now consistently in a starting lineup, as well as helping fill the void of White’s scoring on the Bulls. Sheppard on the other hand, his value stays around the same, with him getting a bench scoring role again with Chicago.
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Gray Deyo is a Nashville-based sportswriter who graduated with a sports management bachelor's degree from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. He has covered prep sports, college sports, the WNBA, and the NBA for the past four years. In addition to writing for SI, Gray also currently contributes to Prep Girls Hoops