As the Golden State Warriors enter their offseason, the team will look to re-tool around their existing veteran core in order to maximize the remainder of superstar Stephen Curry's career, and, as part of this effort, a trade for Boston Celtics guard Derrick White could be a possibility.
White, 30, was an instrumental piece in the Celtics' 2024 championship run, utilizing his poise on both ends of the floor to keep his team's roster level and under control.
As the Celtics face a league-record payroll next season, and attempt to evaluate what led to their elimination at the hands of the New York Knicks this year, it is possible that key pieces could become available for financial reasons, and the Warriors could take advantage of such an opportunity.
A veteran guard could be what the Warriors need
White, as the starting point guard for the Celtics, has been immensely valuable to his team for multiple seasons. Through 76 games this season, White averaged 16.4 points, 4.5 rebound and 4.8 assists on 38.4% 3-point shooting.
Moreover, buzz around the league has NBA pundits considering Golden State's interest in a trade a possibility. On The Zach Lowe Show, Logan Murdock of The Ringer said, "I think that that's something that the Warriors are going to try to figure out. Somebody, another guy that can [hold the fort], another guy that I think you should look at that, for the Warriors going forward, is Derrick White, a guy like that."
Were Golden State to acquire White, his defensive versatility and offensive poise could mesh perfectly with Curry and Jimmy Butler-led offense, allowing Curry to move more frequently and dynamically off the ball and adding a terrific on-ball defender to one of the league's best defenses.
Pairing Curry with a veteran scoring threat is an experiment the Warriors already tried this past season by acquiring Dennis Schroder from the Brooklyn Nets, but Schroder's measly 10.6 scoring average during his tenure led to his benching and ultimate departure.
As Golden State re-tools for next season, however, they still face many of the problems they attempted to address by acquiring Schroder. Young guard Brandin Podziemski's disappearance in the playoffs leaves concerns for his consistent viability and aggression as a starter, and the streaky nature of Buddy Hield's shooting does not inspire confidence in his ability to help anchor the team's starting lineup.
Were White to become available, the Warriors would need to get creative in any attempt to acquire him. While his contract is large, it is not exorbitant, and, with their greatest asset being the sign-and-trade value of young forward Jonathan Kuminga, a pairing of that with expiring contracts could be enough to entice the Celtics into parting with a key piece.