Add the Chicago Bulls and New Orleans Pelicans to the list of teams looking to kickstart another NBA comeback for Royce White.
After it was reported last week that White will get a summer league invite from the Los Angeles Clippers, the Bulls and Pelicans have emerged as suitors, among several others, according to RealGM's Shams Charania.
It's been a long and winding road for the former No. 16 overall pick, who has played a grand total of nine NBA minutes - during a 10-day deal with the Sacramento Kings at the end of the 2013-14 season - since being drafted by the Houston Rockets in 2012.
White has long been open about his struggles with a severe anxiety disorder, and in the wake of an ugly fallout with the Rockets, he was harshly critical of the organization for refusing to put a support system in place - what he called a "mental health protocol" - that would allow him to manage his illness in the hothouse of the NBA.
"My quest to establish a clear protocol in the NBA got me labeled as everything from a Prima donna to a locker room problem, and I suspect it has left me unofficially blackballed from the league despite my being a first-round draft pick," White wrote in December. "In that way, I’m a smaller metaphor for societal discourse around mental health: rather than deal with the issue, people in positions of authority would rather ignore it until it goes away."
Since being let go by the Kings after his second 10-day contract expired in March of 2014, White has been absent from competitive basketball in the NBA, the D-League, or overseas. But there is apparently still a market for the talented 6-foot-8 forward, who drew attention in college for his unique blend of strength, footwork, touch, and passing ability.
The Bulls make for a particularly interesting suitor, given their reported desire to lure Iowa State head coach Fred Hoiberg away from the college ranks to potentially replace Tom Thibodeau. White played for Hoiberg at Iowa State during his one collegiate season, in 2011-12, and the two were said to have a strong relationship.
Hoiberg spoke about White in a recent interview on the Jim Rome show.
"If he can get himself in shape and get with the right team, with the right support staff, I think the sky is the limit for him just because of his abilities," Hoiberg said, as relayed by SB Nation.
"It’s about Royce feeling comfortable. Once he has that, I think he will do anything for you and again hopefully that happens. I’d love to see him back on the floor."
