X/@TheDunkCentral
According to Jake Fischer, the Chicago Bulls’ front office faces the near-impossible decision of locking Coby White down on an extension potentially paying him well north of $30 million per season. The 24-year-old shooting guard will confront the biggest offseason does actually have so far in his relatively short career after this landmark year.
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White wrapped up the fifth NBA season with his best ever performances, averaging 19.1 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 5.1 assists per game. He made 78 starts for Chicago and generously carved himself into the primary offensive tandem option with DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine until LaVine’s peripheral season was cut short by injury. The player-heavy playmaking heavy-weight initiatives now set the stage for a lucrative contract sale, whereas immediately talking about $30 million said per annum created general immediate conversation within the basketball domain.
There has been mixed reactions to White’s quoted asking rate, with many questioning whether the production warranted such investment. One highlighted White’s difficulty on defense, doubting, “Gotta play some defense to want that,” drawing concerns about his two-way impact. Another paralleled his shooting with recent contract awards, saying, “He better start playing like more than 30m a year then,” insinuating if White wants to be paid really, he needs to play better.
On the other hand, several people fought for White on the grounds of his durability and consistency. One person stated, “Best ability is availability and this guy got it,” viewing White’s reliability as a stark contrast to bigger-name stars who are frequently off the floor. That Chicago-based commentator further explained, “I’ve been in the UC when 20,000 fans are chanting his name. Say what you will but he is an elite level scorer capable of taking over 4th quarters.”
One of the most frequent comparisons centered on Josh Giddey’s $25 million extension from the Thunder, with many commenting that White’s asking price could hardly be unreasonable if Giddey is making that much. One commentator put it bluntly: “Yea of course he’s gonna ask that if Giddey getting $25M per”, understanding the inevitability of salary hikes spurred by market comparison.
The skepticism, however, remains quite high. Another detractor issue, “he is a damn bench player on a title contender. He offers no defense whatsoever, and he wouldn’t be the best guard on any current title contender,” doubting White being in the NBA guard echelon. That comment epitomizes the apprehension about shelling out big bucks to players who may not matter much in the fate of championships.
For the Bulls, it’s a tricky situation; if White doesn’t sign an extension, he will become a restricted free agent. Chicago could match any offer sheet he signs with another team, allowing them either to keep White or unload him on another team with an obnoxious price tag should it set the market. In a new CBA that puts harsh financial constraints, dropping $30+ million annually on White would stifle Chicago’s ability to develop the rest of the core.
The ability to rise has been a shining light for Chicago for the past few years. The seventh overall pick in the 2019 draft has slowly been expanding his game from being a microwave scorer off the bench to a bona-fide starting guard. Now, a better three-point shooter (37.6 percent this season) and playmaker, he is beginning to expand his offensive bag, though defensive questions remain.
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The offseason will gradually become Chicago’s big hurdle to White’s contract and the direction of the franchise. Sign him at what’s rumored, then it means truly building around this core; let him get away, or sign and trade him, that is when this gets murky. For the time being, we have the whole basketball world jumping in to ask if Coby White deserves being in the $30 million-a-year-talk.