The Timberwolves, who remain on the lookout for an upgrade in their backcourt, have inquired on Bulls guard Coby White, according to Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times.
Although the February 5 trade deadline is still almost two months away, Cowley hears from a source that Minnesota would like to make a deal to add another ball-handler sooner rather than later, if possible. The Bulls, on the other hand, likely aren’t ready to do anything drastic yet despite losing 14 of 18 games (including seven in a row) since their 5-0 start.
Mike Conley was the full-time starting point guard in Minnesota for most of the past two seasons, but the 38-year-old was moved to the second unit this fall in favor of Donte DiVincenzo. With Conley past his prime, DiVincenzo not a true point guard, and 2024 lottery pick Rob Dillingham not ready to take on a significant role, the Wolves have essentially made Anthony Edwards their de facto point guard and would like to get him some help.
White isn’t exactly a true point guard either, but he’s a talented scorer and play-maker who averaged 20.4 points and 4.5 assists per game last season on .453/.370/.902 shooting. He has been limited to seven appearances so far in 2025/26 due primarily to a calf strain that delayed his debut.
White is earning $12.9MM on an expiring contract, and while he’s extension-eligible, he isn’t expected to agree to a new deal prior to free agency, since league rules would limit the Bulls to offering up to about $87MM over four years. The 25-year-old presumably believes he can do better than that on the open market with a strong contract year.
Cowley mentions DiVincenzo ($12MM), second-year guard Terrence Shannon Jr. ($2.7MM), and a draft pick as a possible package for White. K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Sports Network (YouTube link) recently identified those same two players as candidates to be included in a hypothetical White trade, noting that the Bulls had interest in Shannon – a Chicago native – ahead of the 2024 draft.
Johnson also suggested that the Bulls are in “wait and see” mode and may seriously pursue any deals until closer to the trade deadline. Still, it’s worth noting that the Wolves don’t currently have a tradable first-round pick, so if the Bulls wanted some sort of draft compensation from Minnesota in a deal for White, it would have to be second-rounders and/or pick swaps.
The Wolves have been linked to other guards since the season began, including being identified a few weeks ago as one of the teams to inquire on Grizzlies star Ja Morant. However, a player like White, who has a salary in the range of the mid-level exception, could be a more appealing target based on their potential outgoing salary-matching pieces. Acquiring a maximum-salary player like Morant would require them to part with at least one of Julius Randle, Rudy Gobert, Jaden McDaniels, or Naz Reid.