The Chicago Bulls traded guard Coby White and veteran Mike Conley to the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday in exchange for Collin Sexton, Ousmane Dieng and three second-round picks. The deal, reported by ESPN sources, continues Chicago's roster overhaul ahead of the NBA trade deadline. Charlotte aims to bolster its push for the Eastern Conference play-in tournament.
The Chicago Bulls are reshaping their backcourt as the NBA trade deadline approaches on Thursday. In a move confirmed by ESPN's Shams Charania, the Bulls sent Coby White and Mike Conley to the Charlotte Hornets for Collin Sexton, Ousmane Dieng and three second-round draft picks: the least favorable between Denver and Charlotte, a 2031 New York Knicks pick and a 2031 Denver Nuggets pick.
White, the No. 7 pick in the 2019 draft, had been Chicago's longest-tenured player over seven seasons. This year, he averaged 18.6 points and 4.7 assists on 44% shooting in 29 games, but he was set to become a free agent this summer. Conley, 38, joined the Bulls recently in another trade and averaged 4.4 points off the bench for Minnesota earlier this season on an expiring contract.
For the Hornets, who have won seven straight games and eight of their last nine, the additions come at a key time. Charlotte trails Chicago by one game for the No. 10 seed in the East and hopes White can enhance its high-octane offense alongside LaMelo Ball, Kon Knueppel and Brandon Miller. The Hornets first acquired Dieng and a second-rounder from Oklahoma City for Mason Plumlee before rerouting him to Chicago.
The Bulls, meanwhile, gain youth with 27-year-old Sexton, who averages 14.2 points on 48% shooting in 42 games, and 22-year-old Dieng, the No. 11 pick in 2022, who has played limited minutes for the Thunder (3.7 points, 1.6 rebounds in 11 minutes per game). This trade follows Chicago's earlier deals, including sending Nikola Vucevic to Boston for Anfernee Simons and acquiring Jaden Ivey from Detroit. The moves reflect a focus on building around a young core while shedding expiring contracts.
