June 8, 2026, 5:57 p.m. ET

The Charlotte Hornets acquired North Carolina native Coby White from the Chicago Bulls at the trade deadline.White’s efficiency improved in Charlotte, with career-high shooting percentages in 21 games.He is set to be an unrestricted free agent, but there is mutual interest in him re-signing with the Hornets.If he returns, White will be expected to improve his perimeter defense.

The Charlotte Hornets made a splash at the February trade deadline, acquiring point guard Coby White from the Chicago Bulls for a package headlined by Collin Sexton. This marked a homecoming for White, who is a Goldsboro, North Carolina native and who played for the UNC Tar Heels for one season in college.

After the move to Charlotte, White’s playing time dropped by nearly 10 minutes per game, but his efficiency did not. In 21 games with the Hornets after the deadline, White averaged 15.6 points, three rebounds and three assists in 19.3 minutes. Albeit only 21 games of action, White’s field goal percentage (46.1%) and 3-point percentage (39.1%) were both career highs. Not to mention, White’s heroics in the NBA Play-In Tournament against the Miami Heat, which briefly kept Charlotte’s season alive. White will be an unrestricted free agent this summer, but there is mutual interest in a reunion between both sides. If White were to remain with the Hornets, he’d be asked to improve his perimeter defense, averaging just 0.2 steals since the trade.

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