Chowder and Champions’ Tarringo Basile-vaughan isn’t necessarily sold on the idea of the Boston Celtics trading Derrick White — who feels that the former San Antonio Spurs guard is a good hedge against Malcolm Brogdon’s injury history and Marcus Smart’s eight seasons of wear and tear in the backcourt.
With that said, Basile-vaughan did have two names in mind for a potential return in a future White trade should Boston Celtics President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens decide to try and add talent in a depleted frontcourt.
One of those was Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner, a long-time Cs trade target dating back to the Danny Ainge days. Turner was a name often floated in a hypothetical swap for Gordon Hayward.
The other is John Collins, who could find his role with the Atlanta Hawks shrink even more with the offseason addition of Dejounte Murray. Collins would be an ideal shooting fit in Boston’s system, and his finishing ability at the rim would be welcomed extra so if he was acquired before Robert Williams III returned to the rotation.
Here were the qualifiers Basile-vaughan assigned to a potential pursuit of a White trade:
"“If a team like the Indiana Pacers are finally willing to part ways with a Myles Turner or if John Collins is available by the trade deadline, perhaps Stevens will look at a package centering around White depending on those team’s need in the backcourt.”"
Derrick White believed to be a Boston Celtics trade chip for a ‘bigger fish’
The idea of trading Derrick White has been floated by MassLive’s Brian Robb just months after he was acquired by the San Antonio Spurs for a 2022 draft pick at the February 10 trade deadline — with the qualifier that he’d need to be part of a package for a bigger fish.
Given the success of White in a small-ball starting five this preseason, trading him for Myles Turner or John Collins doesn’t necessarily guarantee a better fitting lineup. The Houdini wouldn’t pull the trigger on such a deal if I was in control of Brad Stevens’ neurological functions.