Boston Celtics Rumors: 2 players who could get traded after initial moves

Boston Celtics trade candidate No. 1: Derrick White

Of course, it’s worth noting that Pritchard isn’t the most likely trade candidate at this point, because the acquisition of Brogdon means that White’s role with the team just got taken over. White was good at times throughout the playoffs, but it feels like Brogdon was brought in to fill the role Boston needed White to fill in the playoffs last season.

White finally seemed to find his footing right at the end of the playoffs, as he was great at the end of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Miami Heat and the beginning of the Finals against Golden State. But aside from that stretch, White wasn’t really anything special. He scored just three points in the last two games of the Finals, and given that he was basically the Celtics first player off the bench, that killed Boston.

White has made a name for himself as a defensive pest throughout his career, but he got picked on a lot in the playoffs too. Against Miami, Jimmy Butler would hunt out White whenever he was on the court and bully him on his way to the rim. It was even worse against the Warriors, as White couldn’t disrupt Steph Curry‘s threes or stick with Andrew Wiggins on his drives to the paint.

At this point of their respective careers, Brogdon is basically just a better version of White. He is a better scorer than White, and he is a rangier defender who can switch onto more players. It feels like White has been replaced, and he could be sent out the door as a result.

The problem for Boston is that they gave up quite a lot to land White, and it would feel like a bit of a misstep to dump him just a few months after making a pretty hefty investment for him. Brogdon also has a pretty lengthy injury history, so White may have a bigger role than initially expected. But as of right now, White seems to have gotten boxed out of his minutes, and it may be a good idea for the front office to flip him while his value is still high.