The deal was supposed to be done. Instead, it reopened a question the Chicago Bulls and Charlotte Hornets thought they had already settled. Just days after Coby White was moved at the trade deadline, the transaction has been quietly altered, changing the cost and raising fresh concerns about how Charlotte navigates medical risk.

According to Fred Katz of The Athletic, the Bulls and Hornets amended the trade after White completed his physical. The exam revealed a left calf injury that will force White to miss time. Because of that finding, the compensation heading back to Chicago was reduced.

Instead of three second-round picks, the Bulls will now receive two. Specifically, Charlotte is sending Chicago second-round picks from the New York Knicks and the Denver Nuggets in 2031. The least favorable 2029 second-round pick between Charlotte and Denver has been removed from the deal.

That adjustment finalized the trade rather than rescinding it entirely. Still, it immediately stood out around the league.

The oddity is not the amendment itself. It is the precedent. Last season, the Los Angeles Lakers agreed to acquire Mark Williams from the Hornets at the deadline. That deal collapsed after a failed physical, costing Charlotte a package that included Dalton Knecht and control over future Lakers picks.

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This time, Charlotte avoided a full reversal. However, the pattern is hard to ignore. Medical findings are once again reshaping the return after terms were agreed upon, and once again, the Hornets are the team adjusting.

From Chicago’s perspective, the revision is not ideal, but it does not erase the logic of the move. The Bulls still walk away with draft capital, and they also brought in Collin Sexton as part of the broader three-team framework involving the Oklahoma City Thunder. Sexton has yet to debut for Chicago but is expected to come off the bench against Denver.

The larger takeaway is stability. The trade stands, the assets are confirmed, and the Bulls avoided a full unraveling after the physical. For Charlotte, the conversation shifts quickly to fit.

Why Coby White still matters for the Hornets

On paper, White and Sexton occupy similar roles. Both are scoring guards, both can handle the ball. Both can create their own shot.

That similarity disappears once Charlotte’s system is factored in. Under head coach Charles Lee, the Hornets emphasize spacing and three-point volume, principles Lee carried over from his time under Joe Mazzulla with the 2024 champion Boston Celtics. Charlotte leans heavily on perimeter gravity to keep pressure on defenses, even when LaMelo Ball is off the floor.

That is where Sexton struggled. Despite respectable efficiency, his lower three-point volume disrupted spacing. When he ran the offense, the Hornets were outscored by 6.3 points per 100 possessions, a 21st-percentile outcome that led to inconsistency and volatility.

White offers a different profile. In Chicago, he showed comfort creating threes for himself and others, attacking closeouts, and operating without dominating the ball. He is accustomed to playing alongside high-usage scorers like Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan, which matters in Charlotte’s rotation-heavy approach.

Even with the calf injury limiting his immediate availability, White’s shot profile aligns more cleanly with what the Hornets are trying to build. His presence is designed to stabilize non-Ball minutes and raise the team’s baseline as it pushes for playoff relevance.

The amendment does not kill the deal. It sharpens the stakes around it. White’s health will determine whether Charlotte truly solved a structural issue in its offense or simply delayed it. Meanwhile, the Bulls move forward with clearer books and confirmed assets.

For now, both teams move on. But once again, a Hornets trade has changed shape after the physical, and that reality is becoming part of the story.