5 Doomsday scenarios that could break up current Celtics roster

Derrick White getting a pay day elsewhere

When a championship-level team comes together, it is usually the result of an accumulation of important pieces over time. Superstar type players will always be paramount, as it has been proven time and again that you can not win a championship in this league without a transcendent talent. But high-level role players certainly matter as well.

That is precisely the category that Derrick White falls into. When Boston found an opportunity to acquire him at the 2022 trade deadline, they did not hesitate to pull the trigger. The front office did their homework and were well aware of the kind of boost he could provide a team that was already on the cusp of greatness.

White has been everything the Celtics could have hoped for and more. An elite defender, White consistently makes life difficult for opposing perimeter players while passing well and scoring efficiently off the ball. He is the perfect complement to guys like Tatum and Brown.

With how much he has impacted winning in his two-plus years in Boston, he has become an increasingly valuable commodity. Plenty of teams around the league would be much more willing to offer him a considerable paycheck than they were before he left San Antonio. His potential departure from Boston would not be as detrimental as some of his teammates' would be, but losing him could still derail what the Celtics have been building.