The Charlotte Hornets are acting like a serious professional basketball team. Meanwhile, the Bulls might finally be ready to do what they should’ve been doing for years: rebuild. The NBA trade deadline can spark some remarkable (and weird) ideas.
Those are the main takeaways from Wednesday afternoon’s trade featuring the rising Hornets’ acquisition of scoring guard Coby White as the Bulls seemingly prepare to sell off their best assets for future draft capital. Charlotte is trying to meet a moment where it’s been one of the NBA’s hottest teams for a good while now. The Bulls, by contrast, are somewhat waving the white flag on an era that never really left the launch pad.
Let’s break down the ins and outs of this deal and hand out some grades.
Bulls and Hornets trade details
- Bulls get: G Collin Sexton, F/C Ousmane Dieng, three second-round draft picks
- Hornets get: G Coby White
At the time of this writing, the Bulls are 24-27. They’re sitting in a firm 10th place in the Eastern Conference, which would technically qualify them for the NBA’s annual play-in tournament. Quite frankly, being satisfied with mediocrity and staying in place would’ve been irresponsible for the Bulls. However, it’s what they’ve doing on a traditional basis.
Trading White now is, at least in part, an admission that being OK with being stuck in stasis is no longer the modus operandi in Chicago. That’s a good thing. It’s worth noting that the Bulls didn’t really get any premium draft capital out of this deal. They probably would have if they dealt White away at his peak value last season. But alas, after also dealing away Nikola Vučević to the Boston Celtics, they have continued to build an underrated war chest that could make them power players in future trades in the draft, free agency, or at this trade deadline or the next.
I won’t knock the Bulls too much for (kind of) waking up about their current status. Sometimes, you just have to be honest with yourself.
Grade: B
Charlotte Hornets trade grade
Kudos to the Hornets for trying to maximize their newfound ascendance. Charlotte entered Wednesday’s deal with the Bulls having won seven straight games and nine of their last 11. They were the NBA’s best team by net and offensive rating in January — traditionally when Real Teams separate themselves from the pack as the schedule picks up with density and high-quality competition. They can also boast decisive wins over bona fide title contenders like the reigning champion Oklahoma City Thunder, the Denver Nuggets, and the San Antonio Spurs.
What I’m trying to say is the Hornets would’ve been sitting pretty even if they made no deals at this trade deadline. They have been that good lately.
Instead, they loaded up with additional firepower like White, a microwave scorer who can give you 20 points in a flash and who shoots well from the outside. This is just a guess, but I’d be willing to bet Charlotte plans to make White its de facto sixth man. He should help take a lot of pressure off of LaMelo Ball as the backup point guard who can handle playmaking and creation duties very well in his own right. I like this deal a lot for the Hornets, who I consider a genuine threat to make some noise in the Eastern Conference playoff field as long as they maintain their white-hot momentum.
The White acquisition is Charlotte’s blaring signal that it doesn’t plan to go anywhere anytime soon.
Grade: B+
