The Boston Celtics are one of the best teams in the NBA, but the time they have with their current roster seemingly has an expiration date. Boston has already been in the second apron for two straight seasons, and Wyc Grousbeck recently stated that he doesn’t think dipping into those waters three years in a row is sustainable. "You can't stay in the second apron," Grousbeck said on The Greg Hill Show. "Nobody will. I predict for the next 40 years of the CBA no one's gonna stay in the second apron more than two years."
With that, it seems inevitable that somebody on the Celtics will be traded this summer to avoid being a second-apron team for a third season in a row.
But one guy seems to be safe.
Derrick White has reached untouchable status with Celtics
Jake Fischer of The Stein Line recently reported that people around the league have been monitoring two names as the most likely trade targets to come out of Boston—Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday.
However, in the same vein of reporting, he revealed a somewhat surprising reality. According to Fischer, Derrick White’s name didn’t come up a single time as he was gathering information about the Celtics’ potential offseason trade plans.
“White would seemingly generate the most trade value of the three if he were to be made available after the playoffs, but his name wasn't mentioned once to me in reporting out this story,” Fischer wrote.
Obviously, it makes sense for Jayson Tatum to be untouchable. He’s the face of the franchise, a Top 5 player in the NBA, and only 27 years old. A similar statement can be made about 28-year-old Finals MVP Jaylen Brown.
White isn’t on their level. He’s a crucial part of the puzzle in Boston, but hearing that he’s on a different playing field as Holiday and Porzingis may not have been what most Celtics fans were expecting.
But it makes perfect sense.
When comparing the three players—White, Holiday, and Porzingis—White is head and shoulders above them in some very important categories.
First and foremost, he’s by far the healthiest of the bunch. Both Holiday and Porzingis have missed time this season with various injuries, and the latter has dealt with chronic health issues throughout his entire career. White has been a beacon of health.
White is also four years younger than Holiday, which makes him a better long-term plan at the guard position.
His elite two-way play also makes him a perfect fit next to Tatum and Brown. The same can be said for Holiday and Porzingis, but White is a much better offensive player than Holiday at this point in their respective careers, and he’s far more flexible than Porzingis in terms of what types of offenses and defenses he can be a part of from a schematic standpoint.
So, while it may be a bit surprising to see that White has reached “untouchable” status with Boston, it makes a ton of sense when the facts are laid out.