The Boston Celtics reportedly were only going to trade veteran guard Derrick White for a historic haul.
Jake Fischer of The Stein Line reported Saturday that the Celtics told "at least one rival team" that it insisted on a landing a trade package for White similar to what the Brooklyn Nets received last offseason from the New York Knicks for Mikal Bridges.
In July 2024, the Knicks acquired Bridges, Keita Bates-Diop, the draft rights to Juan Pablo Vaulet and a 2026 second-round pick in exchange for Bojan Bogdanovic, Mamadi Diakite, Shake Milton, five first-round picks (two in 2025 and one apiece in '27, '29 and '31) and an additional second-rounder in 2025.
Apparently no team was willing to part with a similar smorgasbord of assets to acquire White this offseason.
Earlier this week, reports swirled about the Celtics taking calls about potentially trading White and fellow star Jaylen Brown. With Jayson Tatum set to miss at least most of next season due to a ruptured Achilles, Boston is motivated this offseason to cut salary and avoid going over the costly second apron.
Last week, the Celtics traded Jrue Holiday to the Portland Trail Blazers and sent Kristaps Porzingis to the Atlanta Hawks in a span of two days. But it appears White and Brown—both signed through the 2028-29 campaign—are in Boston to stay.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Derrick White Trade Rumors: What Celtics Were Reportedly Asking for in Talks.
