It would be wise for NBA fans to keep their notifications on for the next 48 hours as we approach the NBA trade deadline, which has already seen several stunning trades, stars moving at an unprecedented level, and the latest huge move: the Chicago Bulls trading the excellent combo guard, Coby White, elsewhere in the East 24 hours before the deadline.
It’s bound to be an emotional day for Bulls fans, as White has been with the Bulls ever since he was drafted in 2019. In the same deal, they also move on from veteran former All-Star point guard Mike Conley Jr., whom they acquired on Tuesday as part of a three-team deal.
Let’s break down this full trade package amid multiple transactions and moving pieces.
Bulls Trade Coby White In Complicated Trade With Hornets For Collin Sexton
Per ESPN’s NBA expert insider Shams Charania, the Bulls are trading Coby White and Mike Conley Jr. to the Charlotte Hornets for Collin Sexton, Ousmane Dieng, and three second-round picks.
The Bulls essentially flip Conley Jr., whom they acquired as part of a three-team deal with the Pistons and Timberwolves on Tuesday, where they also acquired Jaden Ivey in the same transaction.
Furthermore, in a separate transaction, according to Charania, the Hornets acquired Dieng and a second-round pick from the OKC Thunder in exchange for Mason Plumlee. He was then rerouted to Chicago as part of the deal.
“Just in: The Chicago Bulls are trading Coby White and Mike Conley Jr. to the Charlotte Hornets for Collin Sexton, Ousmane Dieng and three second-round picks, sources tell ESPN,” he wrote on X.
Just in: The Chicago Bulls are trading Coby White and Mike Conley Jr. to the Charlotte Hornets for Collin Sexton, Ousmane Dieng and three second-round picks, sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/NnHXT5b8lR
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 4, 2026
White has been a beloved Bull since 2019, an incredibly tough, effort-based defender and hard-working player. His game really took off in 2023, when he averaged 19 points per game.
Further taking a leap in the last year, averaging 20.4 points per game on a career high 45% shooting. It’s fitting that his final game before his trade was a typically strong double-double, with 21 points and 10 rebounds.
He now goes to an ascending Hornets team that has won 7 straight games and is a game out of the play-in places.
Meanwhile, the Bulls acquire Sexton, whose contract expires after this season. At his best, he’s a solid combo guard scorer who’s having a down year, averaging 14 points per game for the Hornets this season.
However, the Bulls are banking on him regaining the form he showed with the Utah Jazz in 2023, when Sexton averaged 18.7 points. As well as last season, where he averaged an identically strong 18.4 points. His career year was in 2020-21 with the Cleveland Cavaliers, where he averaged a terrific 24.3 points per game.
Still, it looks like the Hornets will be delighted with this trade; all things considered, they look like the clear winners of the deal.
