Lakers Trade Rumors: Rival Execs Believe Bulls' Coby White Could Be a Target

The Los Angeles Lakers don't have a lot of wiggle room to add players this summer. The team can still look at ways to improve.

According to Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times, Rival executives think the Purple and Gold may be interested in trading for Chicago Bulls point guard Coby White.

The Lakers could look to acquire players via trade, with rival executives believing Coby White could be a target. A way to upgrade to suit the Lakers' needs would be to move Talen Horton-Tucker, a player whose ball-dominant skills are seen by rival scouts as being redundant with the Lakers' stars.

If the Bulls were to trade White, it wouldn't necessarily be a surprise, as Jonathan Givony previously reported the franchise was open to trading the No. 18 pick in the 2020 draft and possibly White in a package.

White has a $7.4 million salary cap hit for the 2022-23 season while Horton-Tucker has a $10.3 million cap hit.

White would be better than Horton-Tucker. In 61 games last year, the 22-year-old averaged 12.7 points, 3.0 rebound and 2.9 assists while shooting 43.3 percent from the floor and 38.6 percent from deep.

White averaged 27 minutes a game last season, compared to 31.2 minutes the year before. He started 54 games in 2020-21, but only 17 last year.

In 60 games with the Lakers last season, Horton-Tucker averaged 10.0 points, 3.2 rebound and 2.7 assists, while shooting 41.6% from the floor and 28.6% from deep.

The NBA's ninth-worst three-point percentage is something the purple and gold need to improve upon.

Adding White, who has shot well from deep over his three-year career, via trade would help the team's outside shooting struggles.

White could handle starting point guard duties if Westbrook were to fail again, so acquiring him would prove to be a valuable addition.

While shooting 44.4% from the floor and a dismal 29.8% from deep in 78 games, Westbrook averaged just 18.5 points, 7.4 rebound and 7.1 assists. His worst season in the NBA was 2014–2018.

The Lakers want to make the playoffs next season after finishing 11th in the Western Conference in the previous season. The way the team has been constructed could make it difficult.