NBA Rumors: 1 Unlikely move or player every team should be thankful for this season

Chicago Bulls

Thankful for: Re-signing Coby White in 2023

If I had to be perfectly honest, there isn't a ton that seems to be going right for the Chicago Bulls this season. The hope is that the Bulls will be able to finally move on from the likes of Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic at some point before the NBA Trade Deadline but at least for now, that remains very much a question mark. Josh Giddey has gotten off to a nice start with the team but his contract situation is very much a potential problem that could end up backfiring on this franchise during the offseason.

There is one overlooked move that the team made during the 2023 NBA offseason that continues to pay dividends for the team. It was the decision to re-sign Coby White. Through the first four years of his career, White was inconsistent and was actually beginning to regress by year four. During the offseason, instead of letting him walk in free agency, the Bulls somewhat surprisingly decided to re-sign him. It's paid off big-time with two breakout seasons for White. It has to be considered one of the better decisions the team has made in recent history.

Cleveland Cavaliers

Thankful for: Hiring head coach Kenny Atkinson

The Cleveland Cavaliers are off to a historic start and after an offseason in which the team didn't exactly add to their roster, much of the credit has to go to new head coach Kenny Atkinson. It was the only real notable addition the Cavs made during the offseason and, at least so far this season, it has paid huge dividends. It seems as if Atkinson has been able to make the backcourt of Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell work more than former head coach J.B. Bickerstaff was able to.

That's not a knock on Bickerstaff, but that is a credit to Atkinson and the breath of fresh air that he's been able to bring to Cleveland. Who knows how far the Cavs will be able to go this season but no matter what happens the rest of the regular season, they will only be judged by what they do in the postseason. The early indication is that the Cavs may present the biggest threat to the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference. It's amazing how much of an impact a new head coach has made for the Cavs this season.