Charlotte, NC (AP) – The Charlotte Hornets are bringing Coby White back home to North Carolina, where he is the state’s career high school scoring leader and played for the Tar Heels.
The Hornets agreed to acquire White and Mike Conley Jr. from the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday in exchange for Collin Sexton, Ousmane Dieng and three future second-round draft picks, according to a person familiar with the situation. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal had yet to be approved by the league.
In a separate trade, the Hornets also acquired guard Tyus Jones and second-round picks in 2027 and 2028 from Orlando in exchange for cash, the person said. The move allowed the Magic to get under the luxury tax.
The Hornets announced earlier in the day they had acquired Dieng and a second-round pick from Oklahoma City for center Mason Plumlee.
White, the No. 7 overall pick in the 2019 draft, joins a Hornets team that is surging toward its first playoff appearance in a decade, having won seven straight games behind a young core of players.
He averaged 18.6 points, 4.7 assists and 3.7 rebounds per game for the Bulls, shooting 34.6% from 3-point range — down slightly from his career average of 36.8%.
Although it’s unclear where he fits into the Hornets’ rotation, White gives Charlotte yet another scorer join LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller, Kon Knueppel and Miles Bridges. The Hornets are 23-28 and currently 11th in the the Eastern Conference, but they are 12-1 when they’ve started a lineup that includes Ball, Miller, Knueppel, Bridges and center Moussa Diabate — all of whom are now healthy.
Knueppel has won three straight Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month awards, while Miller was named last week’s conference Player of the Week.
The 25-year-old White has spent seven seasons with the Bulls, averaging 15.4 points, 3.9 assists and 3.7 rebounds.
Sexton has been Ball’s primary backup at point guard this season and has given the Hornets a boost off the bench, averaging 14.2 points and 3.7 assists in 42 games while shooting 39.3% on 3s.
White scored 3,573 points for Greenfield High School in Wilson, North Carolina, from 2014-18.
White played one season in college at North Carolina before turning pro. He continues to host youth basketball camps on campus during the offseason.
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AP Basketball Writer Tim Reynolds in Miami contributed to this report.
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