A key Boston Celtics front office figure has revealed the team's intentions for its two best remaining healthy players ahead of the 2025-26 season.
When Boston failed to defend its 2024 crown during the 2025 playoffs, flaming out in the second round against the New York Knicks and losing six-time All-Star forward Jayson Tatum to an Achilles tear in the proceedings, the writing seemed to be on the wall that the team would look to duck the NBA's second luxury tax apron by trading some stars.
The Celtics did that, stunningly effectively, earlier this week. Boston ditched six-time All-Defensive Team guard Jrue Holiday and one-time All-Star center Kristaps Porzingis, both starters on the Celtics' title team, in exchange for a combined haul of three second round picks, guard Anfernee Simons, forward Georges Niang, and a boatload of cap savings.
Will Boston want to continue shaving off payroll obligations, with true championship contention probably a year away as Tatum recuperates for much or all of 2025-26?
ESPN's Shams Charania stirred the pot earlier this month when he indicated on "SportsCenter" that the Celtics were at least listening to calls for both four-time All-Star wing Jaylen Brown and two-time All-Defensive guard Derrick White, although Charania cautioned that both perimeter standouts had “high price thresholds.”
The Ringer's Zach Lowe noted in a recent installment of his "The Zach Lowe Show" podcast that the Toronto Raptors had floated their own lottery pick in the 2025 NBA Draft as the centerpiece of a potential White deal, but the Celtics roundedly rejected the offer.
“There were reports that the Raptors offered the No. 9 pick for Derrick White,” Lowe said. “I’m told that’s true but that it happened a month and a half ago after Jayson Tatum got hurt, and Boston laughed at that offer and said, ‘We need way more than No. 9 for Derrick White.'”
Celtics vice president of basketball operations Mike Zarren appeared to shoot down any buzz that either Brown or White would be on the move, per Souichi Terada of MassLive.
“Those two guys are really, really great NBA players, and there hasn’t been anything close to serious about trading them,” Zarren said of Brown and White. “I’m not sure where all this reporting came from but those guys are key parts of our team, and we’re lucky to have them here.”
After selecting Real Madrid swingman Hugo Gonzalez (with the No. 28 pick), Kentucky center Amari Williams (No. 46), and VCU guard Max Shulga (No. 57) in the draft, Boston will now likely turn its attention to the futures of unrestricted free agent big men Al Horford and Luke Kornet.
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