The Boston Celtics and Golden State Warriors are two proud franchises, used to winning, who fell short of the ultimate goal this spring. Could that make them good trade partners?
The two organizations are at different points in their respective runs, but neither was able to get by the second round. Now, each is faced with difficult decisions.
For the Warriors, they simply need to get better. The Celtics, meanwhile, have potential financial hurdles to clear while also bracing for the potential for an entire season without Jayson Tatum.
One way in which both teams could achieve those goals is to make a trade. According to former Warriors beat writer Logan Murdock, Golden State might be eyeing Celtics guard Derrick White.
As Murdock explained, the Warriors desperately want someone whose skillset supports Steph Curry, pointing out how much trouble Golden State has had getting the offense in rhythm when the future Hall of Famer is on the bench.
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“That’s something the Warriors will try to figure out. … Another guy you should look at for the Warriors moving forward is Derrick White,” he told The Ringer’s Zach Lowe on “The Zach Lowe Show” recently (with a hat tip to Mass Live for sharing Tuesday).
“I think that’s something that the Warriors are looking at right now. Boston is expected, at least in league circles, to have some kind of fire sale — some sort of maybe, reset. … That’s somebody you should look. Somebody who can play defense and settle everyone down, especially with a young group like that.”
It’s worth noting the two had this conversation before Boston’s season came to an end Friday night in Game 6 of the second-round series with New York.
If the Celtics were serious about cutting money, White would be an obvious candidate. His new contract extension — four years, $118 million — hasn’t even kicked in yet, and he’s expected to carry a $28.1 million cap hit next season, a number that will only increase over the life of the deal, an agreement that includes a player option for the final year.
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The Celtics shouldn’t be in a rush to trade White. He’s probably their second-best player entering next season with Tatum sidelined. One report indicated Boston would prefer to trade Jrue Holiday. But there’s more value in dealing White, and the Warriors might be motivated to do a deal, especially after Curry and head coach Steve Kerr got to see his ability during the Olympics last summer.