Bulls' Most Improved Candidate Pinned Among Jazz's 'Top Trade Targets'

Who could the Utah Jazz have their eye on in a potential deal for the year ahead?

Mar 6, 2024; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Coby White (0) dribbles past Utah Jazz guard Talen Horton-Tucker (5) during the third quarter at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images / Rob Gray-Imagn Images

In recent NBA history, the Utah Jazz have been a team to consistently appear across multiple trade rumors and possibilities across the calendar, and if things hold up heading into the looming 2024-25 season, we can expect those talks to ramp up once again as we get deeper into the trade season.

And while it may be a bit early to be dishing on potential Jazz trades, considering game one of the regular season has yet to tip off, it hasn't stopped a few pundits around the league from trying their hand at predicting some names to keep an eye on in deals across the course of the NBA year-- the latest coming from Bleacher Report and Grant Hughes.

Hughes and Bleacher Report recently dove into some trade possibilities for the coming NBA year, sounding off on several players who could find their way on the market, along with teams that could be looking to acquire talent from opposing squads.

For the Jazz, one name that stuck out as a hypothetical acquisition was Chicago Bulls guard Coby White, where Hughes noted Utah's stash of draft capital allows this front office to be ambitious and opportunistic to improve the state of the roster.

"While this isn't necessarily a positive in a macro sense, the Utah Jazz's lack of clarity in their direction allows them to onboard a player like White, who fits neatly into a rebuild or more of a go-for-it approach," Hughes said. "Coming off a breakthrough campaign in which he averaged career highs in points (19.1), rebounds (4.5), and assists (5.1), White could either be a caretaker for or a complement to second-year guard Keyonte George. It should go without saying the Jazz have the picks to go after whoever they want."

While an intriguing fit, it could be a tough ask for the Jazz to pry away White from Chicago after his career-best season. The 2019 top-ten pick placed second in the NBA's Most Improved Player voting last season, and without DeMar DeRozan in the fold, it's easy to see him take another step forward for a Bulls roster searching for a new identity.

If that happens to be the case, don't expect the Bulls to jump to pivot off of White if it isn't necessary. However, if the opportunity arises where he's available, the Jazz would have no choice but to be opportunistic in a deal to acquire him.

Utah's trove of future draft picks makes it simple to make a transaction with a rebuilding Chicago franchise, and for the case of an upwards-trending 24-year-old guard, the fit would make sense on a timeline-bases for a Jazz roster sitting a couple of years away from seriously contending.

A pairing of White and Keyonte George in the backcourt would be an electric, young duo with elite offensive upside in addition to an already strong youth movement. Defensively, there's probably some room for improvement in such a fit, but that's a conversation for another day.

It's a deal that may be just out of the realm of imagination, yet the idea of bringing Coby White to Salt Lake City is a fun one. Keep an eye on how the Jazz and Bulls approach the coming months of the regular season to see if there's any shot of it coming to reality.

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