Though all the focus currently seems to be on Jaylen Brown when it comes to potential Boston Celtics players that could be shopped at some point in the near future (though we’re holding out hope that this doesn’t materialize any further), prior to the resurfacing of these asinine Kevin Durant rumors, there was, in fact, one individual who was deemed as a possible trade chip this season.
That player: Derrick White.
Since the deal that landed the C’s Malcolm Brogdon, many have gone on to discuss how the club’s once barren backcourt now looks to astonishingly be four men deep, with the likes of him, Marcus Smart, Payton Pritchard, and White all worthy of seeing ample playing time within the rotation.
Now, to the vast majority of people, this should by no means be viewed as an issue for the team, for having too many quality talents at the game’s most crucial position is undoubtedly one of the best “problems” to have.
However, when looking at the rest of their rotation, though they’ve certainly bolstered their overall talent pool, there still are some holes that remain that could use some filling, and shopping one of the players at their deepest position could be viewed as a quality way of addressing said areas.
Looking at Boston’s guard rotation, it would appear that, of all the names that could be dangled on the trade market, D. White seems to be the most likely candidate.
We at HH absolutely adore the 28-year-old and appreciate everything he’s managed to do for the Boston Celtics since joining the organization back in February of last season, but, as a result of their reshuffled roster, if Brad Stevens and co. were able to exchange him for a player that helps better round out this championship-aspiring lineup, we would fully understand the decision to part ways with him.
Frankly, if White were actually placed on the block, there’s no doubt that a bevy of teams would come calling for his services, for he’s a well-respected two-way talent with a knack for making the right plays in the pursuit of a victory and, in such an event, we believe 3 teams, in specific, would be guaranteed to inquire about the veteran guard:
Potential Boston Celtics trade partner No. 1) Minnesota Timberwolves
The Minnesota Timberwolves have shown that they are willing to make moves in order to try and better improve their roster moving forward, and this was on full display with the blockbuster transaction that landed them All-Star center, Rudy Gobert.
Unfortunately, however, though this deal gave the team a ton of strength upfront with the new dynamic duo of the Stifle Tower and Karl-Anthony Towns, in order to make things work, the T-Wolves had to cough up their incredibly valuable combo guard, Patrick Beverly in the exchange.
A full-time starter last year for the organization, Pat Bev was an essential part of the team’s backcourt tandem alongside D’Angelo Russell, serving as both a highly efficient distributor as well as a great defensive option to help hide D-Lo’s shortcomings on this end of the floor.
Now, with him gone, Minnesota finds itself without any clear-cut replacement at the two as we approach the regular season.
Sure, they could look to recently signed Bryn Forbes to take on the role, or perhaps even slide Anthony Edwards up to shooting guard, but, considering the success they saw whilst running a dual point guard set last year, it could be a desire of General Manager Tim Connelly to continue on with this strategy and, if this is the case, Derrick White could be an intriguing option to help them right off the bat.
Already having proven himself capable of fitting in alongside ball-dominant players during his time in both San Antonio (played the two alongside Dejounte Murray) and with the Boston Celtics (Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart), White’s abilities to shoulder the ball handling duties with Russell, coupled with his well-established defensive excellence, could easily help fill in the gap within the backcourt now that Beverly is in Utah.