I virtually fell off my stool on the espresso store this morning after I noticed an article suggesting that the Boston Celtics would profit from buying and selling Derrick White.
We’ve reached an period the place it’s not unusual to see articles like this. Faux trades drive pageviews and that’s simply a part of the sport at this level, sadly.
It’s all the time fairly humorous once you see items like this involving a crew just like the Celtics although. Exterior of an NBA 2K MyLeague save, there’s no shot that Boston would have an curiosity in flipping White in any kind of deal.
They’re just too good and he’s simply too useful.
The All-Defensive guard has confirmed time and time once more that he’s an important cog in Joe Mazzulla’s basketball machine. Since buying and selling for White in February of 2022 (sure, Mazzulla hadn’t change into head coach but), the Celtics have a report of 160-54 (.748 successful proportion). They’ve reached the Japanese Convention Finals in each season since, appeared in two NBA Finals, and received final season’s NBA championship.
That’s fairly the resume of crew success, wouldn’t you say?
To not point out that the man virtually by no means misses a recreation. When he does, it’s clear that the Cs are lacking his presence. Within the ten outings that they’ve needed to play with out The Buffalo, Boston has a report of simply 6-4 (.600). That could be an honest clip for many groups, however not the Celtics.
As a person, White has been great for Boston.
In every of his first two full seasons in inexperienced, the Colorado native has been named to the NBA’s All-Defensive second crew. He’s fairly actually been among the best shot-blocking guards that the league has ever seen. White’s 87 blocks final season ranked twelfth all-time amongst guards in NBA historical past.
He’s been fairly nice on the offensive aspect of the ball, too. Most occasions, White usually serves as a second or third scoring possibility for Boston, however he’s snug with regardless of the crew wants of him, huge or small.
En path to Boston’s 18th NBA title final spring, White had a number of scoring outbursts, together with a playoff-career-high 38 factors in opposition to the Miami Warmth. He was unimaginable all through, averaging 16.4 factors per recreation on 45/40 taking pictures splits.
He’s picked up proper the place he left off this season. White is scoring a career-high 17.4 factors per recreation on environment friendly 45/39 splits.
Should you issue all the above together with the truth that White simply signed a four-year/$118 million contract extension in July, a commerce involving him can be ridiculous. He actually can’t be traded till January 6, 2025, due to his new deal.
That contract is both the second or third most useful of Boston’s beginning unit, relying on how you’re feeling about Jaylen Brown’s supermax (I personally suppose he’s value it). The duty of discovering somebody to suit into the crew higher than DWhite can be unimaginable. Even when they have been to land a famous person in that cap slot, whether or not or not they’re prepared to sacrifice particular person success to gel with Boston’s core can be an enormous query.
To be fully frank, I’m undecided that the Celtics have any cause to swing a commerce earlier than this season’s deadline in any respect. Possibly in the event that they’re lifeless set on shifting Jaden Springer in change for picks or an additional roster spot, however even then it appears like a pressure. Draft picks will surely be useful for Brad Stevens as he continues to fight the brand new CBA and construct a sustainable roster in Boston.
The Celtics have a lot cash tied up of their (many) star gamers’ contracts that the draft is admittedly the one means for them so as to add new expertise for an inexpensive value. Hitting on draft picks or undrafted signees goes to be important to proceed to place a powerful roster round White, Brown, and Jayson Tatum. Even when Boston have been to maneuver off of one in all their stars, they’d doubtless flip to Kristaps Porzingis or Jrue Vacation first, however even that appears far-fetched.
At this time limit, there’s no actual motivation for Stevens to shake up his core of gamers. Regardless of lacking Porzingis for a superb chunk of their video games thus far, they’re off to the identical begin as final season by 24 video games, 19-5. There’s nonetheless loads of video games left, nevertheless it doesn’t seem to be the Celtics are falling off anytime quickly.
