Coby White Says Chicago Needs To Add This Before The Trade Deadline

This week has been action-packed for Chicago fans and will only heat up over the next seven days. From Derrick Rose’s retirement ceremony to owning the longest winning streak in the Eastern Conference earlier this week, to now losing to the Indiana Pacers for a third time this season. Coby White, Ayo Dosunmu, and Nikola Vucevic have been the center of dozens of trade rumors, and reports on the Bulls potentially being sellers or buyers have changed daily. After a brutal loss to a bottom-dwelling Pacers team, White was asked what the Chicago Bulls need to add at the rapidly approaching deadline to upgrade the current product, and this was his response.

Taking The Derrick Rose Route

Chicago’s market is an impossible one to make happy. While demanding players represent the city with an attitude radiating a no-quit attitude, grit and perserverance, and never accepting handouts, some fans still expect players to chime in on what the team is lacking or how they can improve. Much like Rose explained last week when asked about forming superteams via recruitment, White owns the same mentality of loyalty to his teammates. During the downfall of the DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine era, the former Tar Heel point guard never advocated the franchise move on from either player, and took responsibility for improving the chemistry to produce more wins.

Horrible loss to the Pacers again, as the trade deadline is a week away. So Bulls guard Coby White was asked if he thought more talent needed to be added. His reply …

Read it …https://t.co/Cgp4dlhMmi

— Joe Cowley (@JCowleyHoops) January 29, 2026

Immediately following a demoralizing loss that perfectly represents how flawed the current roster is, White still stood pat on his belief in the current group. He noted the close proximity to being a top-six team in the East, cited the impressive victories they have boasted over some of the league’s top teams, and mentioned how much he loves the group and his teammates.

He Might Be On The Way Out

As endearing as White’s reply was to what the group needs to do at the cutoff, he’s most likely the one they’re moving on from. It’s got little to do with his skill, production, or contributions to the sporadic results throughout the last four years, and more to do with this summer. In a few months when the 2025-26 campaign concludes, he’ll be a free agent that will likely see his salary nearly triple in value. With the surplus of guards on the roster and his fit with the future being the weakest of the bunch, this might be his last week in a Bulls uniform.

Update from @JakeLFischer:

“Coby White, Ayo Dosunmu, Tre Jones have drawn trade interest; White is most likely to be moved.”

Don’t be surprised if we see the last of Coby White in a Bulls uniform over the next few days. pic.twitter.com/S8LjjpqBxS

— SleeperBulls (@SleeperChicago) January 28, 2026

Is this the last stretch of games we will see the longest-tenured Chicago Bull with the team that drafted him, or does Arturas Karnisovas fail to flip him for assets at the deadline, and watch him leave in free agency with nothing in return to the franchise?