Celtics Trade Rumors Derrick White: Pitch Flips Him for Kawhi Leonard
celtics trade rumors derrick white turned toward a summer pitch that would send Derrick White to the Los Angeles Clippers for Kawhi Leonard. The idea surfaced after Boston’s 3-1 lead against the Philadelphia 76ers in Round 1 of the Eastern Conference playoffs slipped away, leaving White as the Celtics’ most frequently mentioned candidate to move.
Derrick White’s Trade Value
White just turned in the kind of season that makes this conversation possible. He averaged 16.5 points, 5.4 assists and 4.4 rebounds, finished sixth in Defensive Player of the Year voting, and helped Boston claim the No. 2 seed in the East playoffs while Jayson Tatum was injured.
He also shot 39.4 percent from the field and 32.7 percent on 3-point attempts, a mixed offensive profile for a player whose role grew when Boston needed it most. White will play next season at 32 years old, and he was described as the Celtics’ third-best player.
Kawhi Leonard’s Salary Slot
The return would be a very different kind of bet. Leonard has one year left on his $150 million contract, and he played in 65 games this year while averaging 27.9 points per game, 6.4 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.9 steals.
He shot 50.5 percent from the field and nearly 39 percent from 3-point range on close to seven attempts per game. Leonard is a two-time NBA Finals MVP, which is why the pitch centers on whether Boston would rather chase a higher-end scorer than keep White’s all-around two-way production.
Boston’s $20 Million Gap
Any deal would also need the math to work. The Celtics would have to include White’s $30.35 million salary in a move for Leonard and add about $20 million more in contract value to complete the trade to Los Angeles.
That is the friction point in the proposal: Boston would be surrendering a player who helped steady the roster without Tatum, while taking on a contract built around Leonard’s top-end scoring and shot-making. Ben Handler put the case bluntly on Sunday, May 3: “He’s still an incredibly valuable player and will surely be named to an All-Defense team in the coming weeks, but the Celtics clearly need more on offense from their third-best player” and “It’s a scary thought for Celtics Nation, but the idea of selling high on D-White is not a crazy one.”
For now, the pitch is exactly that — a pitch — but it puts White’s value in plain view. Boston would be weighing a $30.35 million salary slot against Leonard’s $150 million deal, and any front-office move built around that kind of swap would reshape the roster immediately.
