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Coby White was available.
That was the prevailing message from rival team executives in advance of previous NBA trade deadlines.
Not so anymore, obviously. And while "untouchable" probably only has applied to one player in Chicago Bulls franchise history---a certain fellow North Carolina product in Michael Jordan---it would take an inconceivable offer for White to change addresses before Thursday's NBA trade deadline.
The Bulls are still drawing interest from multiple teams inquiring about Alex Caruso and Andre Drummond, league sources reiterated. But White, who signed what now is an extreme value deal this past offseason, has played his way into essential building block for whatever roster iteration comes next.
"I don't know if his work ethic has changed. I think his experiences have changed, being five years in the league now," coach Billy Donovan said. "He has worked really, really hard. I've said this a bunch about him: He's a real personal self-evaluator of where he needs to get better. And that's generally when you see guys make the most growth.
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"He has really taken on the responsibility of 'how do I impact winning? What are the things I need to do to impact winning?' That's where I think the biggest growth is that he has made."
DeMar DeRozan interrupted White's postgame walkoff interview following Tuesday's comeback overtime victory over the Timberwolves to announce that "White is a bad man." That's praise.
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And DeRozan had more.
"Amazing," DeRozan said. "And I've seen it because of the work he puts in. He wants to get better. He wants to help the team. When you have that, you can accomplish a lot."
White is averaging 19.4 points, 5.2 assists and 4.7 rebounds, all career-bests. He's shooting 46.5 percent, including 39.9 percent on 7.2 3-point attempts per game---also all career-bests. He has started all 51 games and is averaging a career-high 36.1 minutes.
White is doing all this while blossoming into a two-way player and legitimate point guard who is more adept at screen-and-roll play and setting up teammates.
He's also becoming a significant closing option, scoring 21 of his 33 points in the fourth quarter on Tuesday.
"I’m grateful for the opportunity. It’s been a growing process for me. I’m still trying to learn," White said. "The best way to go through it is to be in it. So I'm grateful that I'm in it and I'm able to have the ball in those moments. I'm super thankful for that. That’s when winning time occurs.
"I try to learn from other guys like Deebo [DeRozan]---what’s his mental like, how is his emotions and how he’s carrying himself. For me, it’s trying to continue to learn as teams change coverages on me and adapt to how I'm playing. I'm trying to take it in stride and learn."
White and Zach LaVine represent the only two players remaining from the roster that executive vice president Artūras Karnišovas inherited. His playing time dropped each of the past two seasons, although he started to re-write his future last season when he landed in many closing lineups. Even though his counting statistics dropped, his two-way play and impact on winning increased last season.
That led to White signing last offseason to a three-year, $36 million deal with incentives that could make it $40 million. That now represents, along with Caruso and Ayo Dosunmu, another value contract as the Bulls tried to trade LaVine before his season-ending foot surgery and likely will try again to move LaVine this offseason.
With LaVine almost certainly staying put now after Thursday, attention shifts to players like Caruso, Drummond and even DeRozan, who could become an unrestricted free agent this offseason. The Bulls currently sit ninth, 4.5 games out of a guaranteed playoff spot and 3.5 games clear of the 11th-place Brooklyn Nets.
"We’re worried about the guys in this locker room. We believe in the guys in this locker room. We’re going to back each other and take advantage of every opportunity we get," White said. "Every team has chatter right now. We don’t pay attention to that."
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