The Coby White trade Hawks must make with Bulls after Trae Young blockbuster

The Atlanta Hawks marked the end of an era by trading away Trae Young at perhaps his lowest trade value; they got CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert in return from the Washington Wizards, and the fact that they did not get a single first-round pick, even a heavily-protected one, is quite telling of how the league views Young.

For what it’s worth, the Hawks have found their identity sans Young, and they are leaning into it even further now that he’s no longer with the team. Atlanta is all-in on its defensive-oriented, lengthy core led by Jalen Johnson, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Dyson Daniels, and Onyeka Okongwu, with McCollum (and Kispert) coming in to fill in the offensive gaps that the roster needs in the aftermath of Young’s departure.

However, the Hawks may not be done wheeling and dealing quite yet. They’ve been involved in trade rumors for a star of Anthony Davis’ caliber, which suggests their desire to reinforce their frontcourt. Alas, Davis’ finger injury, which now forces him out of action for multiple weeks, effectively takes him off the Hawks’ trade wish list, at least for this current campaign.

Atlanta could then pursue an upgrade on the margins that shouldn’t cost them too much in terms of future assets. With that said, here’s a trade for Chicago Bulls guard Coby White that gives them a player similar to McCollum who better fits their contending timeline.

Hawks redirect CJ McCollum in trade with Bulls for Coby White… with a twist

Hawks acquire: Coby White, Nikola Vucevic

Bulls acquire: CJ McCollum, 2026 SAS first-round pick (SAS owns ATL’s first-rounder this year via a pick swap), 2026 BOS/IND/MIA second-round pick, 2029 CLE second-round pick

McCollum just got to the Hawks, so one would think that it’s not quite likely for them to redirect him to another team. The 34-year-old guard may no longer be the player he once was, but his veteran knowhow and his scoring punch fits quite well on the team. For a squad with so many young players, having McCollum’s voice around could be helpful moving forward.

The Hawks could also opt to bring McCollum back once he hits free agency at season’s end; he shouldn’t cost nearly as much as the $30 million or so he’s making in the final year of his contract.

But McCollum is on the downturn of his career, and he’ll be turning 35 years of age prior to the start of next season. The Hawks may prefer to keep a similar archetype of player around, but someone younger. Enter White.

White has been dealing with significant injury problems this year, but he’s as close of a player to McCollum as it gets. The major difference is that the current Bulls guard is nearly nine years younger than McCollum, although they play very similarly and are putting up eerily similar averages this season.

Both are also on the final year of their current contracts, and White has a significantly higher upside moving forward considering his youth. And with the Hawks looking to build for themselves a sustainable winning team, having someone like White who, one would think, is just entering the prime of his career, could be beneficial in terms of having a more assured level of production.

It’s not quite clear how much White would command on the market, but with Young not bringing much in the way of a return, it’s not likely that the Bulls guard would either. That should make White even more appealing of a trade target for the Hawks. The hurdle, however, is that McCollum is making nearly $18 million more than White is, requiring Chicago to send another piece to make salaries work.

This is where the acquisition of Nikola Vucevic comes into play for the Hawks. Vucevic is the antithesis of what the Hawks are building. He’s an offense-oriented big who’s never been known to protect the rim. And at 35 years of age, he is who he is — with significant downside considering that he’s a big man who’s approaching the wrong side of his 30s.

But Atlanta needs a big man amid the uncertainty of Kristaps Porzingis’ situation. With Porzingis’ shuttling in and out of the lineup due to his chronic illness, the Hawks have relied on the likes of Johnson, Mo Gueye, and even rookie Asa Newell to play minutes at the five behind Okongwu.

This is not a very secure situation for the Hawks, as none of those are natural centers. The Hawks aren’t a very tall team in the frontcourt as it is, as Okongwu stands at just 6’8″.

Vucevic’s arrival solidifies the Hawks at center and fortifies their depth that Porzingis can take his time in recovering from POTS. Okongwu could play alongside either big man anyway, and this would free up head coach Quin Snyder to roll with larger and longer lineups centered around Johnson’s burgeoning playmaking skills.

For the Bulls, they have refused to trade Vucevic at every stop, and at this point, it’s likelier that he leaves via free agency when his contract is up at season’s end. They might as well package him with White if it meant acquiring a first-round pick, even a late one, in return.

The San Antonio Spurs’ pick, which the Hawks will presumably be getting since San Antonio owns swap rights courtesy of the Dejounte Murray trade and they’re significantly better than Atlanta, will be landing no worse than 25, barring a late collapse. Atlanta’s roster is already filled with solid contributors, so bringing in another first-rounder doesn’t make a ton of sense.

Meanwhile, the Bulls could use this late first-rounder to add to their young core. This also cements them as a rebuilding team after years of being stuck in the middle.

The Hawks will then have first dibs at keeping White for the foreseeable future, which they should considering that they’re parting ways with a future first in this scenario. And if Porzingis’ illness truly renders him a part-time NBA player for the rest of his career, having Vucevic’s Bird rights makes it that much easier to re-sign him as Okongwu’s backup for next season.

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