Magic trade proposal to Bulls adds Coby White to talented young core

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Magic trade proposal to Bulls adds Coby White to talented young core

Jedd Pagaduan, ClutchPoints · ClutchPoints

Fri, Dec 26, 2025 ·

6 min read

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Magic trade proposal to Bulls adds Coby White to talented young core appeared first on ClutchPoints . Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here .

The Orlando Magic made it clear this past offseason that they were looking forward to taking the next step in their road to contention. They traded away a king's ransom of future draft picks to bring in Desmond Bane , hoping that he'll be the shooter the team has sorely needed amid their struggles on the offensive end over the past few seasons.

But it's become evident that Orlando needs more than just Bane to take advantage of their opportunity in the wide-open Eastern Conference. The injury bug has not been kind once more to the Magic, as the likes of Paolo Banchero , Franz Wagner , and Jalen Suggs — their three franchise guys — have all missed time. In fact, Wagner is out for a few more weeks at the minimum, while Suggs has been dealing with a hip injury over the past few weeks.

This may push the Magic to pull off a trade to bolster the team further, and they have reportedly been linked to a potential trade for Chicago Bulls guard Coby White . White is in the final year of his contract, and with Chicago treading on the line of mediocrity yet again, this could be the year where they decide to cash out on White as a trade asset.

However, the Bane trade has depleted Orlando's trade assets, making them unfavored in any trade scenario for White. Nonetheless, here is a trade proposal that could convince Chicago to give them their explosive scoring guard.

Magic bolster backcourt with Coby White trade

Magic acquire: Coby White , Jevon Carter

Bulls acquire: Jonathan Isaac , Jett Howard , 2026 DET/MIL second-round pick, 2027 ORL second-round pick, 2028 ORL second-round pick

The Magic have loved Jonathan Isaac since day one, and it's not hard to see why. Isaac, when healthy, is one of the best defensive players in the NBA. He's capable of guarding everyone from one to five, and that description isn't hyperbole. He can indeed slide his feet even against quicker guards, and he can protect the rim and even stand toe to toe with post-up brutes.

But Isaac has lost so much developmental steam throughout his career due to injuries, and the Magic team seems to have outgrown him already. And Orlando, of all teams, would know just how much care there must be to prevent Isaac from suffering another long-term injury. Fans have to remember that Isaac missed two full seasons (2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons) and played just 11 games during the 2022-23 campaign.

Nonetheless, the Magic know how elite he is on defense, even though he cannot log heavy minutes anymore due to his injury history. Thus, inking him to a five-year, $84 million contract made sense at the time (mid-2024).

However, in today's CBA landscape, the bill comes due quite quickly for teams on the rise. Suggs, the 2021 draftee, was signed to a five-year, $150.5 million deal. Wagner, another 2021 draftee, signed a stunning supermax contract over five years that could be worth as much as $270 million. And then there's Banchero, the first overall pick of 2022. He's the Magic's franchise player, so doing anything other than inking him to a five-year, $239 million deal would have been asinine.

Adding Bane, who signed a five-year, $207 million deal with the Memphis Grizzlies back in 2023, has further complicated cap matters for the Magic. Those four players alone will be making a combined estimate of around $156 million.

Time is ticking on the Magic , and Isaac appears likely to give way in a cap-saving maneuver. To that end, Orlando may as well get a quality player in return and target White, someone who can provide a scoring punch from the perimeter to aid the cause for them amid Wagner and Suggs' injuries.

It is unlikely that White stays in Orlando long-term considering the Magic's clogged cap sheet situation, but ClutchPoints NBA insider Brett Siegel did mention that the Magic "would be willing to move on from Jonathan Isaac and second-round assets to add scoring depth". White would be nothing more than a rental, but if Orlando were to trade him eventually anyway, they shouldn't just do so for the sake of clearing future cap obligations.

The Magic have been starting Anthony Black and Tyus Jones in the backcourt amid Wagner and Suggs' injuries. Black has been good all year and has been making a third-year leap, but Jones, at this point, is better-suited to being a backup point guard. His inconsistency can be very infuriating, and his plus-minus numbers have been bad all year. According to PBP Stats, the Magic's net rating this season is worse by 13 points whenever Jones is on the floor.

That is not exactly an ideal situation for a Magic team that's looking to compete for a title this year. White is not going to be the piece that takes them over the top, but he's an incredible depth piece to have, an excellent sixth man for when Orlando gets back its core players, and acquiring his Bird rights means that they at least open themselves up to the possibility of retaining White as a trade asset.

As for the Bulls, this trade is an admission that their current core is not good enough and that White is a legitimate flight risk considering that he's in the final year of his contract. Chicago has hovered in and around the play-in spots over the past few seasons, and losing yet another quality piece for nothing is not going to aid their cause in their ongoing rebuild.

Alas, this return won't (and shouldn't) be enough for the Bulls. They will at least want one first-round pick in any White trade, especially when White is just 25 years of age and has proven himself to be one of the best scoring machines in the NBA, having tallied 21.4 points per game thus far this season.

Isaac could be a good defensive piece for a team starved of them, Jett Howard could become something, a post-hype breakout wing, while three second-round picks are nothing to scoff at. But in the end, the Magic simply may not have enough assets to entice the Bulls to trade White to Orlando. That doesn't mean that they shouldn't try anymore.

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