Derrick White explains emotional reality of Jaylen Brown trade from his view

Las Vegas -- Friday night at Cox Pavilion, as the Boston Celtics were making their Summer League debut, Derrick White was willing to meet with the media to share his perspective on the franchise's seismic decision to trade Jaylen Brown. It was a generous act that he had every right to rebuff.

Instead, the candid veteran opened up about seeing someone he has grown so close to now removed from the locker room.

"It's tough to see someone get traded. And JB has been an amazing teammate, [an] amazing friend to me, and he kind of welcomed me when I got traded to Boston. So, I'm always thankful for my time that I spent with JB, and it's obviously always tough to get traded, and I know how that feels," said White.

He and Brown have teamed together for over four years, starting with the deal that brought White to Boston at the trade deadline in February of 2022. They've gone through heartbreaks, championship highs, and everything in between. That only touches on the on-court side of their relationship: As White said, far more goes into someone becoming like a brother.

Derrick White opens up about processing the Jaylen Brown trade

As Joe Mazzulla expounded on after the Celtics' Summer League squad's practice session on Thursday, the layered nature of the emotions involved in this separation requires time to sift through.

It would be understandable if, as White digested saying goodbye to a franchise cornerstone, he contemplated what this meant for him. What does the team need from its trusted guard, who, like Brown, has been a leader and integral part of Boston's success?

While that question has been on his mind, the reason for it isn't seeing his now-former running mate join a rival. Overall, White had a highly impactful 2025-26 season. The Celtics don't win 56 regular-season games and capture the second seed in the Eastern Conference without his contributions. That includes earning his first career All-Defensive First Team selection.

However, it's also no secret that he didn't shoot the ball up to his standards. He made just 32.7 percent of his 8.3 three-point attempts. That's quite a drop-off after hovering near 40 percent in the previous three campaigns. A higher usage rate and launching the most shots of his career seemed to undermine his conversion rate.

While that shouldn't obfuscate White's overall impact, it is a motivator as he prepares for 2026-27. With Brown now a member of the Philadelphia 76ers, it's a year that will require even more from him.

"Honestly, I just wanted to attack the summer and get better. Obviously, I don't think I played that great last year, so that's kind of what I've been focusing on this whole summer, and so that's really -- this hasn't been a change with the trade," conveyed White. "But obviously, just reach out to JB, tell him thank you for everything he did for me, and just know how much he meant to me."

Another element of Boston's blockbuster trade is that, while the Celtics are bidding adieu to a beloved brethren, with whom they'll be bonded by a championship forever and the repeated attempts to reach the NBA summit, the move also brings Paul George into the mix.

"Getting PG, he killed us the whole series, it felt like. So, it's kind of like a mix of emotions, I guess," said White. Immediately after voicing that, his mind went back to Brown, concluding his thoughts with "sad to see him go."

It was a final string of sentences that perfectly captured the complexities of the processing of Brown's departure by those he leaves behind.

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