As the Golden State Warriors pursue a major trade or free agent target to fill out their roster with win-now needs, there are a number of stars and supplementary players on the market they might be interested in.
However, in the midst of the Boston Celtics' current cap sheet balancing, their reported asking price for guard Derrick White, which NBA Insider Jake Fischer of The Stein Line reports to be "Mikal Bridges-type" package, makes the team's ideal offseason move highly unlikely to be completed.
While it was originally unlikely that Boston would be willing to part from White, Golden State was one of the teams considered to be a fit for the defensively-oriented guard, and the franchise will likely now need to pivot to other targets.
The asking price for Derrick White makes things complicated for the Warriors
The Celtics, who are anticipating a down season following the achilles injury to Jayson Tatum, have already dealt two key pieces of their roster, sending Jrue Holiday to the Portland Trailblazers and Kristaps Porzingis to the Atlanta Hawks.
While they received a reasonable price for both players, including Anfernee Simons and a modest sum of draft capital, the franchise is asking for a price for Derrick White resembling what the New York Knicks gave up for Mikal Bridges last off-season: five first-round draft picks.
While the price the Knicks paid for Bridges was certainly more than his value individually, many analysts believed that it was worth the price as a result of the unique need he filled on their roster.
White, who averaged 16.4 points, 4.5 rebounds and 4.8 assists last season with Boston, would certainly fill such a need for Golden State.
Following their acquisition of Jimmy Butler, the Warriors had one of the best defenses in the league, and adding White defensive viability and additional offensive punch could transform the team into immediate championship contenders.
However, the Warriors only own their next four first-round picks, and, while they have indicated they are willing to get aggressive in the pursuit of the right player, are unlikely to move all of those picks for one piece.
Such a move would undoubtedly handicap the team well beyond the end of Stephen Curry's career, and, with a set two-year championship window with this current roster, the team may be looking to hedge their bets at least a little bit.
Therefore, Golden State may need to look somewhere else for their ideal addition this offseason.