NBA Mock Trade: Bulls Deal Coby White to Houston for a Rockets Contending Title Run

The Bulls are listening to phone calls regarding a Coby White trade. It sounds like the Houston Rockets have interest as Western Conference Contenders.

Jan 29, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Coby White (0) brings the ball up court against the Miami Heat during the first half at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

If you are on X, you will have seen the never-ending onslaught of trade rumors that have been swirling around. We even saw a bunch of trades get executed today, from James Harden to Jaren Jackson Jr. and Nikola Vucevic. While many deals are done, others are going to happen. One top name that we must focus on today is Coby White of the Chicago Bulls. In this mock trade scenario, White heads to the Houston Rockets to add fuel for a title run.

Fantasy Basketball Impact

"...I have not heard the #Rockets are actively involved in ANYTHING right now, not Coby White, or Ayo...I think the Rockets are standing pat..."
- Jake Fischer[@JakeLFischer] on Rockets trade rumors

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Thoughts?#Allfire pic.twitter.com/2xza0jlqmE

— Chris Gorman (@GormanChristoph) February 3, 2026

Once White joins the Rockets, he will battle with a bunch of teammates. The Rockets roster Fred VanVleet, Amen Thompson, and Reed Sheppard for their guard play. White now joins the fray, likely as a bench item. In due time, White could start, but he will become a very great 6th man for the Rockets. for the time being.

The Fantasy Basketball valuation of White will go down. He has more competition and would see a slight downtick in minutes in the short-term. This makes for added risk. Granted, on a much better team, we can see his upside loom large. For now, it would have to show itself before we buy in.

On the contrary, VanVleet, Thompson, and Sheppard also add risk to their profiles. They may not quite lose a ton of value, if any, but another threat means more risk.

Traveling up to Chicago would be Dorian Finney-Smith and Josh Okogie. Neither will be high value items. If anything, Finney-Smith may play over 20 minutes per game. However, that will lack great Fantasy Basketball value.

Without White, nothing will change. The Bulls traded for Anfernee Simons today, and that replaces the role of White. If anything, his role expands, and that would downtick the value of Ayo Dosunmu and Tre Jones. Much like the Rockets, the backcourt adds more risk in the short-term.

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Mock Trade Details

Rockets Get: Coby White, 2028 2nd Round Pick

Bulls Get: Dorian Finney-Smith, Josh Okogie, 2027 1st Round Pick

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Why the Rockets Say Yes

The Rockets are looking to make a run towards the NBA Finals. Their window is somewhat thin as Kevin Durant ages, and they must strike while the iron is hot.

White is an expiring contract for the Bulls. Anything you hear "expiring contract," that means the player is cheaper than usual. White can be attained for little, and that is what the Rockets do. They get a stellar guard to be a role player, and/or an elite 6th man. Having an average bench, the Rockets could use White, and a good bench wins Championships.

We note that the Rockets do sell off a 1st round pick in all of this. WE must also relaize that the Rockets are good, and that pick will be outside of the top 20. Unless the Rockets plummet in 2027, that pick is not as drastic a loss as people may think at face value. realize

Why the Bulls Say Yes

Reports claim that the Bulls do not plan to trade White, but they will listen to offers. That is always fugazee as that is shopping. The team is not calling teams up, but they sort of are calling teams up. Deals are in the works, one way or another

The Bulls can get something for nothing here. The Bulls can make a playoff run, but they are nowhere close to being a contender this season. By making this deal, the Bulls get Finney-Smith as the size that they lack. They also get some form of a 1st round pick. Viola.