The Boston Celtics reportedly scoffed at an offer from the Toronto Raptors for guard Derrick White.
The report comes from former ESPN reporter Zach Lowe, who recently returned to the sports media landscape with the "Zach Lowe Show."
During a solo podcast episode, Lowe revealed what he had heard from NBA circles:
“There were reports that the Raptors offered the No. 9 pick for Derrick White," Lowe said.
"I’m told that’s true, but that it happened a month and a half ago after Jayson Tatum got hurt, and Boston laughed at that offer and said, ‘We need way more than No. 9 for Derrick White.’”
Rumors started to bubble after the season ended for the Celtics in the playoffs. The team got eliminated in the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals and lost Jayson Tatum for the rest of the upcoming season.
Since the Celtics are facing payroll issues and White is on a big contract, he has become a potential hot commodity.
Boston found a way to get rid of Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis, and the team is finally in the first apron.
White is a high-leverage role player who does everything on the basketball court well. He can defend, create turnovers, shoot, and handle the ball some.
Over his years in Boston, he showed his ability to contribute to a title-winning team.
Last season, White averaged 16.4 points, 4.8 assists, and 4.5 rebounds per game, along with a steal and a block.
Trading away White would allow Boston to get some assets back into its depleted stock, but he fits alongside Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
He is four seasons into his time with the Celtics, and president of basketball operations Brad Stevens doesn't appear interested in cutting that time short.
"We’ll do our best to put the right group together,” Stevens said of the future roster.
“We’ve got the foundation, obviously, with Jaylen and Jayson [Tatum] and D-White and Payton [Pritchard] and all those guys that a lot of teams would love to have.”
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