The Minnesota Timberwolves have legitimate interest in Chicago Bulls point guard Coby White, though his looming unrestricted free agency presents a significant obstacle to any potential deal.
The Chicago Sun-Times first reported Minnesota’s inquiry about White this week. Jon Krawczynski reported there is “nothing cooking” in terms of active trade talks between the teams.
White is making $12.8 million in the final year of his contract. The 25-year-old guard is widely expected to seek a major raise this summer as an unrestricted free agent.
A Wolves source confirmed legitimate interest in White. However, the uncertainty surrounding his next contract creates a “rental” situation that significantly lowers his trade value. The Wolves don’t currently have any tradeable first round picks, but they do have three swaps available.
Minnesota president of basketball operations Tim Connelly has established himself as one of the NBA’s most aggressive executives. The Timberwolves pursued Kevin Durant this summer before he was traded to the Houston Rockets.
Minnesota also monitored the Ja Morant situation with the Memphis Grizzlies. That move appears very unlikely at this point.
The Timberwolves started 10-8 after reaching consecutive Western Conference Finals. Minnesota has won five of their past six games and stands at 15-9, sixth in the Western Conference.
The slow start mirrors last season’s trajectory. Minnesota began 8-10 and stood at 13-11 through 24 games before winning 17 of their final 20 contests.
The Timberwolves’ due-diligence approach will likely generate numerous trade rumors before the February 5 deadline. Most speculation involves point guard additions to support franchise cornerstone Anthony Edwards.