B/R: Brooklyn Nets wish that they could trade for Chicago’s Coby White
The Brooklyn Nets wish that they could trade for Chicago Bulls guard Coby White, according to a post by Bleacher Report on Saturday. To put in context, this wasn’t a rumored trade around the NBA trade deadline. This is more of a mock trade given the needs of both teams.
Nets guard Seth Curry has played 49 games this season and is averaging 9.9 points in 21.4 minutes off the bench while shooting 45.9% from the field and 39.6% from three-point land. He has had inconsistent playing time this season as he has had moments of cold shooting and has had to deal with the roster turnover that happened around the deadline. His main skill of value is shooting the basketball and he makes Brooklyn a more dangerous team when his shot is on.
White is averaging 8.8 points while shooting 41.8% from the field and 35.5% from behind the three-point line in 58 games played this season. He primarily comes off the bench for Chicago, but he has a more versatile skill set as he can also facilitate an offense and play some defense. More details on this hypothetical scenario down below:
The mock trade
Brooklyn Nets receive: Coby White
Chicago Bulls receive: Seth Curry
Should the Nets do this trade if possible?
Seth Curry brings a different skill set to the table than Coby White. Curry is the better shooter and is the shot creator of the two. While White has better positional size which makes him harder to single out on defense than Curry, Curry has a better handle and is more equipped to be the point man if need be. Neither player is more than an average defender so that is probably a push. However, White being 23 makes him a better fit for Brooklyn’s rebuilding status than Curry who is 32.
Verdict: Yes.
What B/R thinks of the trade
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The Nets can’t go full rebuild mode since the Houston Rockets control their first-round picks in perpetuity, but Brooklyn pushed its timeline toward the future when it dealt both Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving at the deadline. Swapping out the 32-year-old Curry for the 23-year-old White would be another step in that direction.
While White’s restricted free agency could be hard to calculate, the Nets could see the appeal of his outside shooting, shot-creation and transition attacking. Assuming Brooklyn still wants Ben Simmons in its future, White could be a fit with him since he works both on and off the ball.
As for the Bulls, Curry could step in as an upgraded version of White without the thorny restricted free agency upcoming. Curry’s superior shooting could help scratch one of Chicago’s biggest itches, and he’d bring a more polished offensive arsenal.”
