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Derrick White of Celtics

The Boston Celtics just coughed up a 3-1 lead against the rival Philadelphia 76ers in Round 1 of the Eastern Conference playoffs, and the trade mill has begun churning in the aftermath with Derrick White the most frequently mentioned candidate to move.

Jayson Tatum’s injury threw a major hitch in Boston’s 2025-26 campaign. White’s contributions were critical to the team’s ability to not just survive, but thrive, in Tatum’s absence on the way to claiming the No. 2 seed in the East playoffs.

But White’s offense struggled all season under a larger workload. He shot more than ever before (14.4 attempts per game) and connected at a career-worst clip of 39.4 percent from the field. White also made just 32.7 percent of his more than eight nightly heaves from behind the 3-point line, which was the second-lowest mark of his NBA tenure.

White’s shooting numbers and per game averages in points, rebounds and assists dropped meaningfully from the regular season to the team’s seven-game playoff loss to Philly. That said, White still averaged 16.5 points, 5.4 assists and 4.4 rebounds during the regular season and finished sixth in Defensive Player of the Year voting.

He will play next season at 32 years old and is far and away the best trade chip on Boston’s roster beyond Tatum and Jaylen Brown, neither of whom the franchise is likely to move.

“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,” Ben Handler of FanSided contended Sunday, May 3. “It’s a scary thought for Celtics Nation, but the idea of selling high on D-White is not a crazy one.”

Kawhi Leonard Coming Off Career Year Offensively

GettyLos Angeles Clippers star Kawhi Leonard

The question is for whom could the Celtics move White and get better in the immediate?

One possible answer is Los Angeles Clippers All-Star Kawhi Leonard, who has one year remaining on his $150 million contract and is among the biggest names known to be potentially available via trade this summer.

Leonard played in 65 games this year, shedding the health concerns that plagued him in 2024-25. Also, at 34 years old, he produced a career high of 27.9 points per game while adding 6.4 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.9 steals nightly on 50.5 percent shooting and nearly 39 percent from deep on close to seven tries per outing.

Kawhi Leonard Makes Sense in Boston as Short-Term Upgrade

GettyKawhi Leonard of the Los Angeles Clippers.

In short, Leonard returned to the assassin-like status that has defined his game as a two-time NBA Finals MVP pretty much whenever he’s been healthy, and would have been a regular-season MVP candidate if he had played the first two months of the campaign the way he did the last four months.

Thus, while Leonard is not a perfect fit in Boston, dealing for him ahead of next season improves the roster significantly and comes with minimal risk.

The Celtics would have to forfeit White and his $30.35 million salary in 2026-27 and find another $20 million or so in contract value to ship west to L.A.

Even if Boston has to throw in a future first-round pick or pick swap, the team has proven that those are highly likely to come near the end of Round 1 in whatever draft year they convey, just as long as Tatum and Brown are leading the team. Without Tatum for much of last season, Brown stepped up and carried the Celtics to 56 wins as a fringe MVP candidate.

Moving Derrick White for Kawhi Leonard Gives Celtics On-Court Optionality Next Season, Flexibility in Summer 2027

GettyJaylen Brown (left) and Jayson Tatum (right) of the Boston Celtics.

The Celtics would clear White off the books for the final three years of his contract and charge forth into next season with a wing trio of Brown, Leonard and Tatum as the starters at shooting guard, small forward and power forward, respectively.

Assuming relative health, lineup staggers would have two of the three players on the floor for the majority of minutes, and Boston would remain incredibly competitive even when one of the three sat due to rest, injury or whatever other reason.

Leonard does not have to be a ball-dominant player offensively to be successful, which the Clippers displayed during his pairing with James Harden. Meanwhile, Brown’s questionable handle actually renders him a better off-ball player at times.

The perimeter defense and inside-outside blend of offense that Tatum, Brown and Leonard offer would make the Celtics a nightmare for opposing offenses and defenses alike in 2026-27.

Leonard’s contract comes off the books next summer following his age-35 campaign, at which point the Celtics could negotiate an extension or simply use the cap space to pursue younger, longer-term players alongside Tatum and Brown in free agency.