Two former UNC basketball standouts almost involved in blockbuster NBA trade
What if this NBA trade actually went through?
A pair of former UNC basketball standouts just missed being college teammates by one season, but both are carving themselves out solid NBA careers.
Coby White is quietly turning into one of the NBA's top young superstars, coming off his sixth professional season in which he averaged 20.4 points per game, which ranked 31st in the entire league and led the Chicago Bulls.
Cole Anthony, once a full-time starter for the Orlando Magic, established himself as one of the NBA's top sixth men in Year Five. Anthony averaged 9.4 points per game in 67 appearances (22 starts), his first campaign with starting action in two seasons, but Anthony will now try and re-crack a starting lineup with the Memphis Grizzles.
Chicago isn't quite in rebuild mode, while Orlando is one of the league's many young, promising teams. According to LockedOnBulls, the Magic wanted White as part of its young core, offering the Bulls a blockbuster deal that included Anthony, former Florida State standout Jonathan Isaac and two first-round picks.
Chicago only has one playoff victory since the 2016-2017 NBA season, but its last postseason series victory came two years prior, when Jimmy Butler and former Florida Gator Joakim Noah still played in the Windy City.
Orlando hasn't won a playoff series since its 2014-2015 run to the Eastern Conference Finals, but has four playoff victories in its past two seasons combined. The Magic's exciting, young core consists of Duke superstar Paolo Banchero, Michigan standout Franz Wagner and recently-acquired Desmond Bane.
How do you think Anthony and White's respective careers would change if this trade went through? White now has another chance to be the Bulls' featured star, while Anthony looks for a return to his new team's starting lineup.
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