With guard Coby White becoming a star, the Chicago Bulls are facing a difficult predicament.

The franchise re-signed the 6’5 player in 2023 to a team-friendly contract worth $36 million spread over three years.

But that deal has been too team-friendly now that Chicago can’t extend White because of the 140% rule—a topic that has previously been discussed on this site.

In essence, organizations are permitted to extend a player’s contract by factoring in 140% of the player’s most recent paid year. As an alternative, a team may base its wage on the average salary in the league and then take the highest of 140%.

Whatever the Bulls decide, White has outperformed both situations. In the previous campaign, he averaged over 19 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 5.1 assists per game. To expect the Bulls to be able to sign him to an extension is just overly optimistic.

In 2026, White will become an unrestricted free agent, and Chicago will theoretically be able to offer more than anyone else. However, if they hold onto him for that long, they run the chance of losing him for nothing since other clubs may outbid them.

Chicago most likely won’t extend a maximum offer because White probably won’t meet that condition. Teams can therefore essentially make the same offer, barring a significant overpayment from Chicago. The Bulls seem to want to steer clear of that situation as well.

There is still one possibility, which the Bulls should investigate immediately.

It’s best to swap Coby White as soon as possible.

The Bulls experienced a similar circumstance with Alex Caruso; they overstayed their welcome, paid him significantly less than his true value, and ultimately received far less than they could have if they had moved on with it sooner.

With White, who has two years remaining on his contract worth somewhat less than $25 million overall, Chicago currently seems to be making a similar error.

Teams will be lining up to sign a player with White’s caliber, especially given his current deal. Unlike the Bulls, who created a predicament for themselves when they moved Caruso to Oklahoma City with just one season remaining on his contract, the team that acquires White knows they’ll have an opportunity to have White perform for them during two postseason years, as opposed to one.

White’s low salary is even more alluring to possible bidders because it is also quite simple to match in a possible exchange.

If the Bulls can work out a fair trade-off for this young player, they should be well compensated for giving up a cheap and productive player.

It’s reasonable to question why the Bulls should bear any sort of collateral punishment for striking a solid deal. They recently went through it with Caruso, and they’re in a similar predicament with Ayo Dosunmu.

If Jalen Smith becomes a star, which is not unheard of, the Bulls will find themselves in a difficult predicament once more when his $27 million three-year contract is ready to expire.

It also makes sense, though, that the Bulls would have to be grounded. If the team is once again deficient in the competitive area and other teams can provide comparable financial opportunities, then what exactly would keep White in Chicago?

They asked themselves that question with Caruso, and they will have to respond to it for Dosunmu and maybe Smith in the future.

So, if the Bulls act now, what can they obtain in exchange for White?

Not as many as other teams, probably, considering their trade history. However, if Bulls management performs as expected, it wouldn’t be unreasonable to demand or even ask for at least two first-round selections with very little protection.

Given that those picks are probably going to be selected later in the draft, the Bulls may even ask for more if they trade White to a contender.

Do Bulls supporters find those picks as entertaining to watch on the court as White? Obviously not, yet the sacrifice is right there.

It’s time to go unless the Bulls want to make a desperate late-season trade at the 2026 trade deadline, where they will earn pennies in comparison to what they can get now.

Is Jimmy Butler considering any other Eastern Conference team?

Jimmy Butler might be considering his alternatives outside of Miami even as he gets set for what might be his final dance there.

The New York Post’s Brian Lewis revealed on Saturday that Heat player Butler “likes” the Brooklyn Nets as a possible destination for his free agency. Lewis points out that Butler has chosen not to sign a contract extension with the Heat before he becomes a free agent in 2025.

The Nets are currently completely rebuilding, especially after Mikal Bridges was traded to a rival team earlier in the summer. However, it also implies that they will be able to use the max-level cap space, especially once Ben Simmons leaves their books in 2025. Additionally, Brooklyn has a wealth of talented players under the age of 25 to work with, such as Day’Ron Sharpe, Cameron Thomas, and Nicolas Claxton.

The 34-year-old, six-time All-Star Butler has a deal for $48.8 million for the upcoming season and a $52.4 million player option for 2025–2026, which he may turn down to explore free agency. The Heat has adopted a position that may suggest they have faith in keeping Butler past the 2020–21 campaign. However, if they eventually fall short of doing so, Butler’s services might surprise the youthful Nets as a top contender.