There’s no such thing as an untouchable player on the Chicago Bulls.
That has been clear from the start of the season after the team traded DeMar DeRozan and Alex Caruso over the summer. The Bulls are now in the early stages of a rebuild, the ugly first step that involves stripping a roster of its most redeemable qualities to build potential for the future.
But even after years of rumors, guard Coby White said he and his teammates were caught off guard when they landed in Chicago on Sunday night to the news that Zach LaVine had been traded.
“We were all shocked,” White said. “It had been so much chatter over the years and nothing ever happened, and then especially the year he was having — we all (were) in shock but we all felt more sadness because this was home for him. He gave his all to the city and the organization.”
The LaVine trade set an uneasy tone for the rest of the Bulls this week. If the front office was willing to trade the team’s biggest star to dump salary and regain control of a 2025 draft pick, then every other player has to bolster himself for a potential trade.
Executive vice president of basketball operations Artūras Karnišovas is actively pursuing several more moves before the 2 p.m. Thursday trade deadline. The front office is focused on dealing three key players: White, Nikola Vučević and Lonzo Ball.
In the meantime, the Bulls have to play two games — Tuesday at home against the Miami Heat and Wednesday at the Minnesota Timberwolves — with the knowledge they could be traded at any time.
“I already know I’m not untouchable,” White said. “So for me, it’s just another day.”
The Bulls aren’t interested in attaching assets to sweeten the deal in a player trade. They already dealt away a 2028 second-round pick to complete the move to send LaVine to the Sacramento Kings, a small but somewhat frustrating loss. Any other deals this week will be focused on netting draft picks.
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Some players are likelier to stay than others. Rookie Matas Buzelis is a focal point for the future who remains relatively untested, so other teams are unlikely to take a swing for him — and the Bulls aren’t eagerly shopping one of their most promising draft picks in recent years.
Despite reports of interest in Josh Giddey, the point guard remains a relatively low-value trade asset, especially with his contract expiring at the end of this season. And younger reserves such as Dalen Terry and Julian Phillips aren’t focal points for any movement this week, although either player could be packaged in a trade if necessary to recoup picks.
The outlook varies from player to player based on the stage of his career. Vučević told the Tribune last week he is content in Chicago but would embrace a trade to a team in “win-now mode” rather than a rebuild. But younger players such as White are willing to dig in for a rebuild to create a new version of the Bulls in the post-LaVine era.
“I’ve been in Chicago since my career started,” White said. “This is home for me. I just bought a house. I love it here. This is a great place. I love my teammates. We’ve got a bunch of young talent, guys that want to learn and want to win.”
A 2020 draft pick, White is now the longest-tenured player on the Bulls. He never has been a Bull — or an NBA player, for that matter — without LaVine as his teammate. The pair weathered coaching and front-office changes and struggled through losing seasons together.
If White remains in Chicago past Thursday’s deadline, he would be one of the players tasked with creating a new identity for the post-LaVine Bulls. But for now, White will celebrate those five years spent together — on the court, yes, but mostly off it.
White’s favorite memory of LaVine isn’t a 360-degree dunk or a game-winning 3-pointer. It’s the day he went to LaVine’s home in 2022 to meet LaVine’s newborn son, Saint.
Watching LaVine ball was one thing — but watching his friend grow as a father was something White will cherish for even longer.
“The relationship we built is bigger than just basketball,” White said. “That’s what I’ll remember.”