Coby White Enters Prove-It Contract Season After Failing To Reach Chicago Bulls Extension

A number of players from the 2019 NBA Draft class agreed to extensions throughout the offseason leading up to Monday’s deadline, including the top five picks. Other first-round picks like explosive scoring guards Tyler Herro and Jordan Poole got at least $120 million guaranteed. Chicago Bulls guard Coby White, the seventh pick in that draft, was not among the players to get paid.

The Monday deadline came and went with White failing to reach an extension with the Bulls, setting himself up for a contract year before restricted free agency next summer. If White is still with the Bulls through the 2022-23 season, the front office will have the opportunity to work out a new deal or make a decision on an offer sheet, assuming they give him his qualifying offer worth nearly $10 million. He’s set to make $7.4 million in the final year of his rookie contract.

Whether White makes it through the season in Chicago is a legitimate question. There were trade rumblings ahead of the last trade deadline and then in the offseason, but nothing came to fruition. It would shock nobody not just if trade rumors crop up again in 2022-23 but if he’s actually dealt. Given this, the fact White and the Bulls didn’t come to terms on an extension agreement isn’t a surprise.

White has been something of an enigma in Chicago. The 22-year-old has shown flashes throughout his young career of being a legitimate offensive weapon with microwave scoring ability, but consistency has been a major problem and defense isn’t exactly a strong suit. He struggled with the starting point guard role in Year 2 and then missed the start of last season because of shoulder surgery.

The guard struggled initially upon his return from the shoulder injury but then seemed to find a groove, especially after he wasn’t traded in February. Unfortunately, White flopped down the stretch and was a disaster against the Milwaukee Bucks in the playoffs, again putting his future with the organization in question.

A White trade almost felt like a foregone conclusion after his brutal close to the season, but the Bulls’ lack of 3-point shooting on the roster likely played a role in their decision to keep him around. For all his inconsistency, he was third on the team in both 3-point attempts per game (5.8) and 3-point makes per game (2.2) while converting at a 38.5% rate. Chicago was last in 3-point attempts last season, so trading away a player with a high 3-point rate, all while Lonzo Ball’s injury situation remained unsolved, would have brought some risk depending on the return.

Ball being out for a while to start this season will give White another bigger opportunity, even with the additions of Goran Dragic and Dalen Terry to a deep backcourt. How Billy Donovan juggles his rotation will be a storyline to watch all season, and things will only get more crowded once Ball returns (hopefully).

This all makes White’s situation an intriguing one. While his future in Chicago is tenuous, he’s still just 22 years old with a valuable NBA skill. Even though he’s not the Bulls’ point guard of the future like the last front office was hoping, it’s not out of the realm of possibility that he sticks with the franchise past this season. But it’s now or never as he enters this prove-it campaign.