Celts get Derrick White for Richardson, Langford, #1, 2028 pick swap

[RJ87]

This move is signalling the slow and steady rebuild / retool around the Jays.

I don't think slow & steady is going to get it done. They need some help. Serious help. Star help. Not role players and slow & steady.

We can't afford slow and steady, honestly. Jaylen's free agency isn't that far off....

We’ve gone from 18-21 to 31-25 lately. And we just improved our roster today. The team is a solid right now and we still have tradeable assets (Horford’s expiring, Smart, TPE whatever) to use in the off-season if the right deal shows up. We’ll be fine. Today was a success.

I strongly disagree that we improved.

Our shooting took a step back and that's the area we really needed to add to.

Think most are underrating White. He’s good. He can be an above-average 3pt shooter and with more open looks I bet he will be.

He’s also a good playmaker and can play the point or off-guard if called upon.

This team — already a stout defensive unit — will he stifling between White and Theis coming in. We have great switchable size up and down the rotation.

More shooting — well, we have more minutes available for Pritchard. Nesmith too so hopefully he can start knocking it down.

Langford is no longer a prospect.

I think White is fine defensively, I can see the logic there.

But consider this: our 4th quarter scoring has been a grind most of the season. If your best/closing lineup is White/Smart/Brown/Tatum/Williams, teams will collapse on the Jays.

This move - imo - feels like a set up to a bigger move that fell through. If we pulled off a Horford/Smart for Collins/Bogdan trade, the roster and this move would feel more complete.

[colincb]

SI:

As a standalone transaction, the suddenly dangerous Celtics acquired Derrick White, a malleable two-way role player who’s under contract through 2025, in his prime and already familiar with the offensive system head coach Ime Udoka has implemented in Boston. With Josh Richardson, Romeo Langford (who couldn’t quite crack Udoka’s rotation) and a top-four protected first-round pick heading out the door, it’s a talent upgrade in the short and long-term that complements Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum and Rob Williams.


CELTICS GRADE: A-

White is comfortable handling the ball, and, despite spacing issues, has actually done a decent job in spots as San Antonio’s primary pick-and-roll playmaker—crucial on a team that just lost Dennis Schröder and Josh Richardson. White has one of the best floaters in basketball and does a great job keeping plays alive when downhill off a screen. White also takes care of the ball and is averaging a career high 5.6 assists per game.

His three-point shooting is down this year (White has been particularly wretched from the corner), but as a third, fourth or fifth option in most lineups he’ll have a beat longer to launch spot-up looks. He made 37% of his catch-and-shoot threes last year and 39% in 2020. The Celtics have mauled opponents with their dual-big starting five, but down the stretch of close games (and perhaps full-time in the playoffs, depending on who they face), White is ideal next to Marcus Smart, Brown, Tatum and Williams. White is a scrappy, intuitive defender who doesn’t mind sacrificing his body. He’ll fit nicely onto a Celtics team that switches more than any other in the league. Boston’s top seven is now as complete and versatile as any in the conference, with far more certainty going forward than they had yesterday.
San Antonio Spurs guard Derrick White (4) dribbles in the second half against the Los Angeles Clippers


SPURS GRADE: A-

In addition to scooping up a lottery-protected first-round pick from the Raptors earlier today, the Spurs grab a top-four protected first from the Celtics, plus a wing prospect, in this deal. They also get off the $53 million that’s left on White’s contract, opening up even more cap space for a front office that will have plenty of flexibility this offseason.

White was a solid backcourt partner for Dejounte Murray and appreciated in San Antonio for all the subtle ways he impacted winning. But at 27 years old, he’s also at a stage in his career where he ultimately makes more sense on a team with loftier ambition.

The Spurs have full-on embraced their rebuild and are grabbing assets left and right with the hope of making it as quick and painless as possible. If they snag a top-3 pick in this year’s draft, in part because they no longer have one of their best team defenders, all the better. Those other firsts could be valuable if they want to move up a spot or two, too.

[Roy H.]

Brian Robb
Brian Robb @BrianTRobb
about 10 minutes ago
Spurs will have right to swap first-round picks with Celtics in 2028 as part of Derrick White trade but Boston’s 2028 pick is top-1 protected, sources tell MassLive.

[hpantazo]

Brian Robb
Brian Robb @BrianTRobb
about 10 minutes ago
Spurs will have right to swap first-round picks with Celtics in 2028 as part of Derrick White trade but Boston’s 2028 pick is top-1 protected, sources tell MassLive.

Wow. We gave up a lot for White. That's an all-star player level return. One good young rotation player in Richardson, one prospect in Romeo, one 1st round pick and the right to swap 1sts 6 years from now which is a big gamble. Ime better be confident he can turn White into a star.

[Celtics4ever]

I. for one. could care less about the number one pick.    I mean I like the draft and it's fun to guess but it is doubtful to me that we would draft a guy who score 14 PPG and 5 APG in this draft.   And if I were Brad, I would trade any pick until Austin Ainge, our scouting chief is gone, given our last couple of drafts.  I mean it!  And no I am not Gary Washburn on a burner account.

I am looking forward to some Bulldog defense from Derrick and Marcus.   I hate losing Richardson.  We may have offensives struggles but man we should be able to inflict them on the other team with our D

[bogg]

Wow. We gave up a lot for White. That's an all-star player level return. One good young rotation player in Richardson, one prospect in Romeo, one 1st round pick and the right to swap 1sts 6 years from now which is a big gamble. Ime better be confident he can turn White into a star.

I like Richardson just fine, but he's 28 and change. Josh is very firmly a veteran journeyman and Romeo is more reclamation project than prospect at this point.

[DefenseWinsChamps]

Wow. We gave up a lot for White. That's an all-star player level return. One good young rotation player in Richardson, one prospect in Romeo, one 1st round pick and the right to swap 1sts 6 years from now which is a big gamble. Ime better be confident he can turn White into a star.

I like Richardson just fine, but he's 28 and change. Josh is very firmly a veteran journeyman and Romeo is more reclamation project than prospect at this point.

Last year at this time, when the Celtics got Richardson, he was a negative value contract.

[rocknrollforyoursoul]

I'm not sure what to make of this deal, or if it makes the Celtics better. I'm willing to wait and see, but Richardson/Langford/first/pick-swap seems like an overpay for White. Stevens was more active at the trade deadline than I figured he'd be, but in all the activity he didn't address what is, IMO, the team's biggest need: better shooters.

[seancally]

This move is signalling the slow and steady rebuild / retool around the Jays.

I don't think slow & steady is going to get it done. They need some help. Serious help. Star help. Not role players and slow & steady.

We can't afford slow and steady, honestly. Jaylen's free agency isn't that far off....

We’ve gone from 18-21 to 31-25 lately. And we just improved our roster today. The team is a solid right now and we still have tradeable assets (Horford’s expiring, Smart, TPE whatever) to use in the off-season if the right deal shows up. We’ll be fine. Today was a success.

I strongly disagree that we improved.

Our shooting took a step back and that's the area we really needed to add to.

Think most are underrating White. He’s good. He can be an above-average 3pt shooter and with more open looks I bet he will be.

He’s also a good playmaker and can play the point or off-guard if called upon.

This team — already a stout defensive unit — will he stifling between White and Theis coming in. We have great switchable size up and down the rotation.

More shooting — well, we have more minutes available for Pritchard. Nesmith too so hopefully he can start knocking it down.

Langford is no longer a prospect.

I think White is fine defensively, I can see the logic there.

But consider this: our 4th quarter scoring has been a grind most of the season. If your best/closing lineup is White/Smart/Brown/Tatum/Williams, teams will collapse on the Jays.

This move - imo - feels like a set up to a bigger move that fell through. If we pulled off a Horford/Smart for Collins/Bogdan trade, the roster and this move would feel more complete.

That’s still in play, isn’t it? If anything a Smart/Horford trade in the off-season is less problematic since we have a Smart-esque player waiting in the wings.

But I also think this fanbase is accustomed to the Ainge trades: either you fleece the other team or you do nothing. Forget giving value to get value.

White fits with this team over the next few years. I don’t care about the pick swap; it only becomes an issue if we are somehow a lottery team at that point, AND the spurs are not worse.

[td450]

I'm not buying the overpay argument here.

Getting a starter/heavy rotation point guard/combo guard that improves offensive flow without compromise on defense or size? A guy that the coach knows better than most of the C's players?

Sweating a pick swap in 6 years seems well worth it. Because the C's ship Langford and Schroder out too, we now clear enough roster space to actually play our two young guys, both of whom could be our best shooters longer term

[KG Living Legend]

As a Celtics fan, why do I bother getting excited around the trade deadline. Inevitably, it's always a disappointment. Seriously, Derrick White? Do yourself a favor, and don't look up his contract, like I did. I just threw up my lunch.

Based on this trade, I hope and assume Brad is not done.

$55 million left on his contract…disgusting.

 Have you ever seen the kid play? He's very good player.  What's disgusting is Westbrook gets 47 million next year.  Harden will get 62 million when he's 38.

 

[bogg]

Wow. We gave up a lot for White. That's an all-star player level return. One good young rotation player in Richardson, one prospect in Romeo, one 1st round pick and the right to swap 1sts 6 years from now which is a big gamble. Ime better be confident he can turn White into a star.

I like Richardson just fine, but he's 28 and change. Josh is very firmly a veteran journeyman and Romeo is more reclamation project than prospect at this point.

Last year at this time, when the Celtics got Richardson, he was a negative value contract.

Yea, again - I like Josh just fine and would have been good with him sticking around for the length of his deal, but he's now on his fifth team in four years. That's as journeyman as journeyman gets. Romeo may or may not be an NBA player.

[trickybilly]

OK. I've started to calm down from the overpay.

Cost controlled, pop-trained, TeamUSA colleague of the Jays, timeline fit, clearly another move coming in Summer.

I'm on board.

Don't understand the pick protection (we'd need to go like 5-20 for it to kick in), and that pick swap? Oofff.

[Cman]

Brian Robb
Brian Robb @BrianTRobb
about 10 minutes ago
Spurs will have right to swap first-round picks with Celtics in 2028 as part of Derrick White trade but Boston’s 2028 pick is top-1 protected, sources tell MassLive.

So it *is* protected..... a tiny bit. Couldn't have pushed for a top5 protection?

[Cman]

OK. I've started to calm down from the overpay.

Cost controlled, pop-trained, TeamUSA colleague of the Jays, timeline fit, clearly another move coming in Summer.

I'm on board.

Don't understand the pick protection (we'd need to go like 5-20 for it to kick in), and that pick swap? Oofff.

Not necessarily another move coming in the summer, but better positioned to pull one off, I guess. Though, with a bit less draft capital.