Getty Derrick White and Marcus Smart of the Boston Celtics
Because the Boston Celtics are a little crowded in their backcourt, they may make some changes to it this offseason. NBA Insider Marc Stein reported which one is the most likely to find a new team this summer.
“Word is the most likely of the group to be dealt, entering the weekend, was Malcolm Brogdon rather than Marcus Smart, Derrick White or Payton Pritchard,” Stein wrote on his Substack.
Brogdon has two years and $45 million left on his contract, which is an affordable deal for the NBA’s reigning Sixth Man of the Year, though he has a reputation for being injury-prone. Though Stein said that Brogdon is the most likely guard to get dealt, it’s possible none of the Celtics’ four guards get traded this summer.
If he does, what remains to be seen is if the Celtics will trade him for draft assets or they trade him for a player(s) who they believe would fit the roster better than him.
Suns Interested in Malcolm Brogdon
Should the Celtics opt to trade Brogdon this summer, there is at least one confirmed interested suitor for his services this summer. Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports reported on June 16 that the Phoenix Suns have Brogdon as one of their trade targets.
“Two names to keep an eye on in Phoenix’s trade pursuits: Atlanta Hawks forward John Collins and Boston Celtics guard Malcolm Brogdon,” Fischer wrote. “The Suns acquiring either of those veterans might require a third team to accept Paul’s outgoing salary — such as the Houston Rockets with their $60 million of cap space and counting — but Brogdon and Collins are a pair of players Phoenix has registered interest in during trade conversations with Boston and Atlanta, respectively, that date back to the trade deadline, sources said.”
It would be difficult to see how a Celtics-Suns trade would come to fruition seeing how the Suns don’t have much to offer outside of their top four players of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, Chris Paul, and DeAndre Ayton. The Suns also traded their first-round draft picks, among other assets, to the Brooklyn Nets when they acquired Durant.
Derrick White Considered ‘Least Likely’ to Be Traded
In Fischer’s June 16 report, he also confirmed that Derrick White is considered the least likely among the Celtics’ quartet of guards to be traded.
“For what it’s worth, White has been described by opposing personnel as the least likely of Boston’s guards to be moved this offseason, particularly after a stellar playoff run,” Fischer wrote.
White’s contract is much cheaper than Brogdon’s, as he is owed upwards of $36 million over the next two seasons.
White was much more efficient in his first full year with the Celtics, as he shot 46.2% from the field and 38.1% from three during the 2022-23 season compared to the 40.9% and 30.6% he shot in those respective areas in his half-season with the Celtics in 2022.
White played a pivotal role in helping the Celtics make it to Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals, which included saving the Celtics’ season in Game 6 on a buzzer-beating putback.
