The Chicago Bulls seem to be done making their key moves in the 2022 NBA offseason. One thing that they can still do, though, is give Coby White a contract extension.
White, whom the Bulls drafted seventh in the 2019 NBA Draft, averaged 12.7 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game and posted career-highs in field-goal percentage (43.3 percent) and 3-point percentage (38.5 percent) last season. His offensive output hasn't ever justified being picked so high in the draft but he has been a decent scorer in his three-year career.
Now that Chicago has a stellar point guard in Lonzo Ball to pair with Zach LaVine, a promising youngster in Ayo Dosunmu and new free-agent addition in Goran Dragic, White's place on the roster is lessening. The Bulls would be wise to entertain trading him and his expiring contract. If there aren't any good moves out there, Chicago would be best suited to extend him.
Signing White to an extension with an average annual value that is worth close to the amount he is making this season ($7 million) would be a wise move for the Bulls. Here are three reasons why that is.
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3 reasons Bulls must give Coby White a contract extension in 2022 NBA offseason
3. Chicago could use the depth
Even with Dosunmu becoming a more important piece on the team than White, the Bulls could still use White off the bench.
Lonzo Ball is still recovering from the knee issues he suffered last season. Although he is making progress, the injury has kept him out longer than anticipated. Although Dragic was brought in because he was promised a bigger role than he got with the Brooklyn Nets, the 36-year-old shouldn't be relied on to play heavy minutes over the course of the regular season.
Even though White is best suited for a position on the wing rather than as a ball handler running the offense, he has good enough handles to be the ball-handler from time to time. Having a player like this on a fairly cheap deal would be beneficial for Chicago.
With White developing more into a shooting-guard role, he could actually fit well next to Dosunmu off the bench. Dragic would be less of an ideal fit given that neither guard is reliable on defense. Dosunmu is very good on that end and White, at 6-foot-5, has the size to be a two-guard.
2. White is starting to show improvement
Although White has not emerged as the leading point guard the Bulls hoped he would be, he just showcased some improvement that could make him a valuable bench piece. His shooting abilities were very good last season and if they are again this season, the Bulls will look to give him a solidified role.
White posted career-best shooting splits while increasing the percentage of shots he took from deep. Last season, 54 percent of his field-goal attempts came from behind the 3-point arc. He also improved his shooting percentages on shots closer to the hoop. Last season, he converted 66.1 percent of his shots within three feet of the basket.
Bulls executive vice president Arturas Karnisovas said that he is seeing growth in the 22-year-old. That age is something to keep in mind. White has had to develop his abilities in a Bulls organization that has really only started to turn around now. With a genuinely good cast of players around him, he can continue improving in roles that don't give him as much responsibility.
1. They don't have many other ways to add guard depth
If the Bulls do decide to trade White, they better find someone whose bird rights they can get or is signed to a contract for the next few years. They are capped out now and most likely will be for the foreseeable future.
The Bulls need to sign Nikola Vuvevic to a new contract soon. Dosunmu will need one, too. With LaVine's new lucrative extension kicking in, Chicago will have less room to add reinforcements behind their stars. They can go over the salary cap to sign White to a new contract and it shouldn't be one that's too expensive, anyway.
Chicago's stuffed salary books don't make White untouchable, as his talent doesn't come close to demanding that kind of importance. However, he is good enough for the Bulls to keep him on the roster and guarantee a salary for him for the next few seasons.
The likelihood that Coby White becomes someone that becomes worth the seventh overall pick is not good. However, that doesn't mean he's totally useless. His shooting and scoring abilities can be helpful off the bench, especially if the injury bug bites the Bulls again.
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