Coby White to the Houston Rockets may not happen after all.
With Houston’s lack of point guard depth, the Rockets were rumored to be in trade talks for multiple players ahead of the trade deadline, including White. It was even reported that Chicago “floated” names like Reed Sheppard and Tari Eason in exchange for White, which seemingly held up those trade talks.
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While those were all signs pointing to White landing in Houston, NBA insider Jake Fischer recently said he isn’t so convinced.
Coby White’s future in Chicago
Fischer said the Rockets are not “actively involved” in any potential trade for White, directly contradicting recent rumors linking him to Houston. The NBA insider also said that the Rockets aren’t pursuing a trade for White’s teammate, Ayo Dosunmu. He went on further to say that he believes the Rockets are “standing pat” at the deadline.
Even though Fischer’s comments make it seem far less likely that a deal happens, White would be an immediate upgrade in Houston’s backcourt. As a secondary playmaker, he could take some of the burden to run the offense from Amen Thompson, which would free him to play off the ball as a cutter in the dunker’s spot, where Thompson thrives.
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This season, White is averaging 18.5 points and 4.8 assists per game for the Bulls while shooting 43.9% from the field and 35.0% from beyond the arc. That type of production would go a long way toward helping Houston build the ideal supporting cast around Alperen Sengun and Kevin Durant, even if he would likely have a smaller role with the Rockets.
With a deal for White not in the works for Houston, the 31-17 Rockets will likely have to rely on internal improvement or pick up a player in the buyout market to improve their point guard depth and overall rotation.
This article originally appeared on Rockets Wire: Houston Rockets not ‘actively involved’ in trade for Bulls guard