Derrick White reportedly ‘least likely’ among Celtics guards to be traded this offseason
The Celtics might have to move pieces off of their loaded backcourt this offseason.
The Celtics might reportedly be “active” in the trade market in the days leading up to the 2023 NBA Draft.
But that doesn’t mean that Boston is looking to overhaul its entire crop of talented guards on the roster.
Even though reigning Sixth Man of the Year Malcolm Brogdon is reportedly generating interest in what has already been a hectic NBA offseason, Boston might be hesitant to move another key cog in its backcourt in Derrick White.
According to Yahoo Sports’ Jake Fischer, opposing teams view White as “the least likely of Boston’s guards to be moved this offseason”, especially when weighed against other potential trade chips like Brogdon and Payton Pritchard.
Even though White didn’t take home any tangible hardware like Brogdon, the 28-year-old guard was an instrumental part of Boston’s success during the 2022-23 season.
White played in all 82 games for the C’s last year, averaging 12.4 points, 3.6 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game. He also earned All-Defensive Second Team honors as a versatile player capable of slowing down opponents on the perimeter and swatting shots near the paint.
During the 2023 playoffs, White averaged 13.4 points, 3.0 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 29.7 minutes per game. He also pushed Boston to a decisive Game 7 in the Eastern Conference Finals thanks to a buzzer-beating basket in Game 6 against the Miami Heat.
With White signed through the 2024-25 season and commanding salaries of $17.6 million and $18.8 million, Boston has a useful contributor secured that shouldn’t cause fiscal headaches, given his market value.
But with the new CBA in place and Boston potentially crafting a supermax contract extension for Jaylen Brown, the C’s might need to shed another contract this summer. Bogdon could be an option, given his higher salary ($22.5 million in each of the next two years).
Even though Brogdon was a tremendous add for Boston after shifting his role as a bench option in 2022-23, Fischer added in his report that Boston is looking at moving a guard and other assets in order to “upgrade a thinner frontcourt” in 2023-24.
Brogdon is an impact player on this Celtics roster. But given both Al Horford’s age and Robert Williams’ injury history, flipping Brogdon for a useful piece up front might be the best course for Brad Stevens and the Celtics to take this summer.
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