Derrick White almost certainly will remain with the Boston Celtics following the 2025 NBA Draft, but not because of a lack of trade interest.
The 30-year-old guard, who’s been included in speculation throughout the offseason, reportedly had the Toronto Raptors offering their lottery pick for his services.
“As part of unexpected discussions held with the Celtics this week, sources say the Raptors created an offer based around the ninth pick in the 2025 NBA Draft,” ClutchPoints Brett Siegel reported Wednesday afternoon, some eight hours before the NBA draft tipped off.
Siegel noted if such a deal came to fruition — it didn’t, of course — it would’ve been a multi-team deal.
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ESPN’s Brian Windhorst reported Wednesday afternoon Boston was receiving offers from teams selecting in the top 10. Those offers were centered around Jaylen Brown and White, according to Windhorst.
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White is about to start his four-year, $118 million deal he signed with the Celtics. Given the financial commitment, White was rumored to be a potential trade piece given Boston’s need to shed salary this offseason. However, the Green dipped below the second apron of the luxury tax after they traded Jrue Holiday to the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday and Kristaps Porzingis to the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday.
Leading up to the NBA draft, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported the Celtics were receiving and listening to offers on White. However, as Charania noted, Boston would need to be blown away in order to deal White. Toronto’s offer clearly did not fit that bill.