Coby White intends to sign a three-year deal worth $74 million dollars. The guard is set to play in Charlotte through the 2028-29 season.
How We Got Here
White was drafted by the Bulls with the seventh overall pick back in 2019 out of North Carolina. He established himself as a solid player for the Bulls, taking a major step forward over the past couple of seasons.
The Hornets originally traded for White from the Chicago Bulls before the trade deadline. The Hornets sent Collin Sexton, Ousmane Dieng, and three second-round picks in exchange for White and Mike Conley. They hoped that he would be able to help the team make a postseason push before he entered free agency.
He was able to do just that, averaging 15.6 points and 39% 3-point shooting in 21 games for Charlotte. His biggest moment came in the Play-In Tournament when he scored 19 points and hit a turnaround three to force overtime in Charlotte’s 127-126 win over the Miami Heat in the first Eastern Conference play-in game.
His Impact
With the Lamelo Ball trade happening right before this move, it is clear that White will be stepping into the starting role for the Hornets. He will slot in next to Kon Knueppel in the back court to try and maintain some of the momentum that they built in the second half of the season.
He will have a tough time with that, however. The Hornets’ offense scored 123.2 points per 100 possessions with Ball on the court last season, but the offense scored just 110.6 points per 100 possessions without Ball per NBA Advanced Stats.
He will have to tap into the level of scoring he showed back in 2024 when he averaged 20.4 points. However, he will also need to start passing the ball a lot more to make up for the loss of Ball’s passing abilities.
It’ll be interesting to see what the Hornets look like next season. They have an extremely impressive second half of the season, so they will be looking to keep the momentum going in 2026.
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