Reactions on Coby White, Dalen Terry trades

I’m following my annual tradition of live grades for every trade today at Sporting News (read them here). I usually have a grade up within 5-10 minutes of a trade going down.

As part of those grades, I gave instant reactions to the stuff that the Bulls did on Wednesday. I’ll paste what I wrote about the Coby White and Dalen Terry trades below.

• Hornets receive: Coby White, Mike Conley Jr

• Bulls receive: Collin Sexton, Ousmane Dieng, three second round picks

Bulls trade grade: C

This is an underwhelming package for White, who was at one time among the best contracts in the league. The second-rounders that the Bulls are getting from the Hornets aren’t particularly good, nor are the players that they’re getting back.

Sexton is a talented scorer, but where does he fit among the plethora of guards already on the roster? Dieng has never averaged more than five points per game over any of his four seasons.

White’s value dipped down because the Bulls waited until he was set to become a free agent this summer before trading him. This trade became somewhat of a necessity after Chicago added Jaden Ivey and Anfernee Simons to their roster.

Hornets trade grade: A-

White is a good young player who fits well with the high-octane offense that the Hornets have created. He should help Charlotte pass the Bulls in the race for the last Play-In spot. He won’t help with their defensive issues, but he’s a starter-level player that adds a ton of shooting next to LaMelo Ball, Kon Knueppel, and Brandon Miller.

Adding to this, after sleeping on it, I am even lower on this White trade. The Bulls acquired Sexton, Simons, and Ivey, who are all similar type of offense-first / bad defense players and worse in that role than White.

Ivey does have some good potential and is two years younger. Simons and Sexton are older. Why not just keep White, who is by far the best passer and playmaker of the group?

This also has the potential to cause locker room dysfunction, which you the reader probably don’t care about but is worth pointing out. All three of those guards are free agents and will be fighting for tens of millions of dollars. Billy Donovan has his work cut out for him.

Dieng is somewhat similar to Noa Essengue. He’s a toolsy, tall forward with a long wingspan and extremely skinny frame. He’s had confidence issues in the past and he’s been a streaky shooter. He’s not a great prospect, but he was a former lottery pick in 2022.

• Bulls receive: Guerschon Yabusele

• Knicks receive: Dalen Terry

Knicks trade grade: B+

Yabusele wasn’t getting minutes on the Knicks. He had been a disappointing summer acquisition after a promising year in Philadelphia. The Knicks got what they could for him, picking up a busted prospect in Terry and getting off his salary next season. It’s somewhat surprising that they were able to do so without attaching any draft assets.

Terry has turned into a much better shooter and has some potential as a long defender. He can handle the ball in transition. He’s never been able to put it all together though, and he hasn’t gotten a ton of minutes in Chicago. That probably won’t change for a Knicks team that has championship aspirations, but they get his restricted free agency rights and can sign him to a cheap deal this summer or let him walk.

Bulls trade grade: C-

The Bulls should be trying to get younger and free up future cap space. Instead, they moved Terry, a 23-year-old, for Yabusele, a 30-year-old. Yabu has a $5.8 million player option, potentially impacting that future space. This move doesn’t make sense unless they like Yabu and think he can help them win. Chicago should be going the other way, trying to maximize draft odds rather than making another ill-fated run towards the Play-In Tournament.

I was a fan of the Bulls’ earlier moves. These are worse, particularly the Yabusele trade. Does getting an older player signal that the Bulls will add even more win-now veterans? I sure hope not.

If those or any other trades do come through, check my live grades throughout the day for my thoughts.