The Boston Celtics had an opportunity to become the first NBA champions to win consecutive titles since the Golden State Warriors. Despite having another excellent regular season, though, they couldn't make it happen. The team lost to the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
This wasn't the only setback the franchise faced, Jayson Tatum picked up an Achilles injury during the playoffs. This will see him sidelined for almost the entirety of next season. With a team built to win now, some players big players have to be offloaded this offseason, which is what they are doing.
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The Celtics have traded Jrue Holiday to the Portland Trail Blazers, while Kristaps Porzingis now finds himself on the Hawks. And the fifth member of their title-winning roster could also be traded, as insiders have explained Boston's expectations in any such deal.
"Sources say Boston told at least one rival team that it would have insisted on a ‘Mikal Bridges-type’ package to part with Derrick White, league sources say," Jake Fischer reported on The Stein Line.
"The Celtics have certainly received no shortage of inbound trade calls on both White and Jaylen Brown in recent days, but nothing got serious on either front."
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Mikal Bridges famously went to the Knicks in a deal that saw New York give up five first-round picks. An offer like that for White is something only a few NBA teams can even think about. It likely effectively prices the Celtics man out of a trade away.
White is owed roughly $125 million over the next four seasons, although he has a player option in the finals year of his contract. The deal is quite valuable considering his skillset and championship-winning pedigree. No wonder Boston wants a king's ransom for the man.
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