The Boston Celtics are facing difficult roster decisions entering the 2025 offseason.
Rumors are swirling that Boston’s President of Basketball Operations, Brad Stevens, could be forced by financial pressures to trade either Kristaps Porzingis, Jrue Holiday, or both out of a salary-shedding necessity.
Guys like Jaylen Brown and Derrick White, once thought to be close to untouchable, may not be any longer.
The Celtics moving on from either Brown or White is highly unlikely, but not impossible.
Stevens will likely receive plenty of calls about both players, and according to a new idea from The Athletic’s Es Baraheni, the San Antonio Spurs might ring up Stevens about a reunion with White.
“What if the Spurs just say, ‘Can we get Derrick White back?’” Baraheni said during a new episode of The Kevin O’Connor Show.
“‘Thank you guys for developing developing him into a fringe All-Star player. His jumper is now fixed, and we love the fact that he is basically a lights out shooter. He fits incredibly well as an off-ball player to (De’Aaron) Fox.’”
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“I mean, can you just imagine how great he would be (on the Spurs)?” Baraheni continued.
“They own a 2028 swap rights with the Celtics because of that trade … They can give the 14th pick. They can even sweeten the pot with other stuff if they’d like to.”
“To be honest with you, I would do the version of whatever the Kevin Durant trade is and do it for Derrick White over Durant just because I think White is such a perfect fit. He fits the timeline … he works incredibly well in everything that they want to do.”
Baraheni’s White-to-Spurs idea is creative, but it doesn’t seem entirely realistic, mostly because Stevens would need more than a package headlined by the No. 14 pick to give away White.
If the Spurs were to put the No. 2 overall pick on the table, that might pique Boston’s interest, but San Antonio isn’t likely willing to entertain that idea.
Players like Devin Vassell or Keldon Johnson have been rumored to be in Durant packages — neither of those guys moves the needle on a deal for White, either, even in tandem with the No. 14 pick.
White is one of the most valuable two-way basketball players in the world. Brad Stevens is aware of that fact, and it would take a mammoth offer to pry White away from Boston.
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