Ime Udoka played a big role in the Celtics trading for Derrick White in 2022, when Udoka was leading Boston to the NBA Finals.
Ime Udoka played a big role in the Celtics trading for Derrick White in 2022, when Udoka was leading Boston to the NBA Finals.Michael Dwyer/Associated Press
The winds of change are blowing this offseason for the Celtics. Instead of a refreshing summer breeze, Boston basketball devotees are being subjected to a hoops haboob — a stifling, second apron-fueled windstorm blowing away the remnants of their championship contender.
Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porzingis, and Luke Kornet all are gone with the wind. The NBA collective bargaining agreement-induced change buffeting the Celtics likely isn’t over yet, so here are some thoughts on the offseason.
⋅ The case for trading Derrick White: Before you grab the pitchforks and picket outside the Globe offices at this mere suggestion, hear me out. This offseason dictates uncomfortable choices. No one wants to part with White. However, the Celtics still need to slough off more salary, and White’s value is likely never to be higher coming off the best season of his career.
The All-Star adjacent guard will be 32 the next time the Celtics have a realistic shot at Banner 19. He’s under contract for three more seasons with a player option for 2028-29, and could be the perfect piece for a covetous club eager to boost its championship chances. The Celtics have made it clear they don’t yearn to trade White, but they’re not hanging up the phone immediately when teams call to inquire.
Perhaps, a certain old admirer could convince his club to bowl over Boston. Rockets coach Ime Udoka was one of the driving forces behind the Celtics trading for White in 2022, when Udoka guided them to the NBA Finals. The two overlapped when Udoka was an assistant in San Antonio, and ESPN’s Brian Windhorst reported the Rockets were ready to pounce on White if he didn’t re-sign with the Celtics last summer.
Now, with Kevin Durant in tow, Houston would make a logical suitor. The Rockets are armed with intriguing young players they could spare — Jabari Smith, Tari Eason, and Reed Sheppard. They also boast a surfeit of centers after bringing back Clint Capela and re-signing Steven Adams to back up Turkish delight Alperen Şengün.
Also, Houston is armed with draft capital, slated to have multiple first-round picks in 2027 (including Phoenix’s unprotected first-rounder) and 2029 (the most favorable of their own, Dallas, and Phoenix).
You don’t make this move unless it’s a deal too good to refuse, because White is tight with Jayson Tatum — but setting Tatum up for another sustained run of title contention could salve that wound.
⋅ No taxation without contention: President of basketball operations Brad Stevens has already dipped the team below the dreaded second apron of the luxury tax ($207.8 million). The Celtics were within hailing distance of the first apron ($195.9m) before reaching agreements with Minnesota frontcourt cast-offs Luka Garza and Josh Minott.
There’s more maneuvering to come, and the Celtics shouldn’t stop until they find a way under the $187.9 million threshold completely. With Tatum’s torn Achilles’ tendon, it’s the perfect time to reset.
Peel off more pieces in the Parquet Purge to dodge any tax bill, and then see where you land in 2026-27. The Celtics have paid the luxury tax the last three seasons. To avoid onerous repeater penalties, they need to get under in the next two.
⋅ Allegiance to Al Horford: A gentleman stopped me on the street Tuesday to beseech me to make a call and implore Celtics’ brass to retain Horford. Sir, you vastly overestimate the influence of a sportswriter, but I get it. Horford isn’t the most talented player the Celtics will part with this summer, but he could generate the most emotional response.
The 39-year-old has a robust market, and the Celtics don’t have a great deal of financial flexibility. “Flexibility” is to the Celtics’ vocabulary of buzz words as “alignment” is to the Red Sox. They also can’t offer Al an opportunity to add to his ring collection.
When Horford was re-acquired from Oklahoma City in 2021, a lot of folks thought his return was a ceremonial salary dump of Kemba Walker and his disintegrated knee. But if you know Stevens, you know his admiration and affinity for Horford and his game. In his second tour of Celtics duty, Horford settled in as a key character actor, both on and off the court, and finally became a deserved champion.
Sam Hauser is a 42 percent 3-point shooter after four seasons in the league, averaging more than 20 minutes per game each of the last two years.
Sam Hauser is a 42 percent 3-point shooter after four seasons in the league, averaging more than 20 minutes per game each of the last two years.Danielle Parhizkaran/Globe Staff
⋅ How do you afford Sam Hauser? Say this for this odious NBA CBA constructed from Satan’s silks to penalize teams adept at cultivating and collecting talent, it does force you to distill necessities from luxuries. In that vein, it’s hard to see how this Great Celtics Selloff doesn’t include Sam Hauser.
A consummate self-made player, deadly shooter, and underestimated defender, Hauser is a desirable option off the bench. But, given their predicament, he’s a $10 million luxury they simply can’t afford. With their financial restraints, the Celtics need a player of Hauser’s contribution level and skillset to make half of that.
⋅ Three-point thought: In true Celtics fashion, I’m going for three points on one attempt.
— If I’m coach Joe Mazzulla, I want an extension before this season. Who knows how it’s going to look without Tatum, or what the roster could look like with the team craving flexibility in a manner rivaling Simone Biles.
— Here’s hoping that hometown hooper Georges Niang, acquired in the three-way deal that dumped Porziņgis’s salary, actually gets a chance to suit up and isn’t just salary/roster filler to be peddled. The son of Methuen grew up a Celtics fan and is the all-time leading scorer at prep school powerhouse Tilton School in New Hampshire. He’s carved out a nice career. (Year 10 loading.)
— Garza is a worthwhile shot in the dark, but one element the former Wooden Award winner at Iowa won’t be bringing to the parquet is rim protection. The 6-foot-10-inch Garza averages just 0.1 blocks per game. Kornet averaged 1.0 the last two seasons.
Christopher L. Gasper is a Globe columnist. He can be reached at christopher.gasper@globe.com. Follow him @cgasper and on Instagram @cgaspersports.