Chicago Bulls Receive: F Justin Holiday, IND 2023 1st Round Pick (Top-14 Protected)
Indiana Pacers Receive: G Coby White
The Chicago Bulls and Indiana Pacers are in the same division in the Eastern Conference, but this should not deter them from making a trade that could wind up benefiting each other. Chicago needs another two-way threat on the wing, hence why they could have interest in Justin Holiday, and Indiana desperately needs some young talents to try and move forward with.
The Pacers are just 13-19 on the season and they have been struggling as an organization ever since Paul George was traded following the 2016-17 season. Since then, the Pacers have made the playoffs three different times, but they have not advanced past the first round and have won a total of three playoff games since 2017.
With rumors swirling about this franchise possibly facing a rebuild, but management and ownership saying that they are not going to tear things down, the Pacers are in a very awkward spot as a franchise right now.
They are almost definitely going to be making some kind of a big move at the trade deadline, but will they be forced to give up one of their best talents like Myles Turner, Caris LeVert or Domantas Sabonis?
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It is much more likely that they will look to trade guys like Jeremy Lamb and Justin Holiday for value, which is why we have this scenario with the Bulls. Being close to the luxury tax threshold this season, Chicago does not have many ways to improve their depth on the wing, but Holiday is only making $6M this season.
By leveraging Coby White, they would remain under the tax threshold on the season and they would not really be losing much production. White has played well in Chicago over the years, but with Lonzo Ball, Alex Caruso and rookie Ayo Dosunmu, it is hard to see where Coby White fits into the long-term picture for this organization.
The Pacers may not want to deal with the contract situation of Coby White, as he is entering the final year of his contract next season, but they have a desperate need in their backcourt right now since T.J. McConnell is likely done for the year.
McConnell suffered torn ligaments in his right hand and he had surgery the first week of December. The back-up point guard is expected to remain in a cast for 10-12 weeks and then will face an uphill rehab process that will keep him sidelined for another 2-4 weeks before resuming on-court activities.
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Having nobody behind Malcolm Brogdon right now, the Indiana Pacers could utilize Coby White in a much larger role than the Chicago Bulls are using him for right now and White has been impressive early on in his career as a combo-guard.
The 21-year-old guard has averaged 13.7 points, 3.6 assists, and has shot 35.2% from three-point range, making him a reliable contributor that the Indiana Pacers could add to their bench, one that ranks 18th in the league in scoring this season.
