New Blockbuster Three-Team Trade Proposal Sends Derrick White to Warriors, Hawks Add Versatile Wing As Depth

If the Celtics are enticed into making a deal for Derrick White, could Atlanta build up its backcourt as a result?

Jan 20, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Boston Celtics guard Derrick White (9) dribbles the ball next to Golden State Warriors guard Dennis Schroder (71) in the first quarter at the Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images | Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images

With the 2025 NBA Draft wrapping up, all eyes are fixed on free agency and the trade market as they open on Monday, July 1st. There will be a flurry of moves being made and it's very likely that there will be surprises as teams re-configure their rosters to stay within the stringent salary requirements of the CBA.

One of the teams that seems to be most affected by the second apron is the Boston Celtics. They've already made two big trades this summer, sending Jrue Holiday to the Portland Trail Blazers and Kristaps Porzingis to the Atlanta Hawks. However, it's possible that more moves are on the horizon.

During an appearance on the Stephen A. Smith Show Tuesday, ESPN's Shams Charania reported that "there are multiple teams that have significant interest for Jaylen Brown." Charania also noted that Boston would "prefer not to trade" Brown or guard Derrick White.

His follow-up remarks today indicated that the door has not closed on a White or Brown deal.

"There's a couple of other players, Sam Hauser, Anfernee Simons, that at minimum if they do want to continue to shed even more out of the first apron, out of the luxury tax, they could," the NBA insider said. "There's heavy interest in those two guys, Jaylen Brown and Derrick White, but a very, very high price threshold if anybody wants them."

The buzz around these two players seems to indicate that the Celtics could trade either player if they truly received an offer they could not refuse. There are several teams who could be enticed into making such an offer, especially for White due to his salary and highly complimentary skillset.

Specifically, the Golden State Warriors have been linked to White. In late May, Lachlan Murdock of the Ringer had this to say about White ending up on the team that he lost to in the 2022 NBA Finals.

“Another guy that I think you should look at for the Warriors going forward is Derrick White. A guy like that I think is something that the Warriors are looking at right now because Boston is expected in league circles to have some sort of fire sale or some sort of maybe reset… Just somebody that can play defense and kind of just settle everyone down. Especially when you have a young group like that, you need to settle them down in the non-Steph [Curry] minutes, so that’s something to figure out.”

If the Celtics are interested on taking a flyer on talented wing Jonathan Kuminga, especially in a season where Jayson Tatum is expected to miss most of the year, it stands to reason that a deal could come to fruition. They just drafted wing Hugo Gonzalez from Real Madrid with the 28th overall selection, but expecting the 19 year-old to take on a significant role in his first season would be extremely bold. Kuminga would certainly help their wing situation. Given that both teams are working without ample amounts of cap flexibility, including a third team would also make some sense. The Hawks could be that third team. Boston and Atlanta already linked up for one big trade this offseason and the Hawks are still $38 million in salary under the tax line this season and also have access to a massive $25 million traded player cap exception. Any deal that addresses needs at interior defense, front court depth, shooting, and maybe a backup lead guard/ball handler would be of interest to Atlanta. However, front court depth is less of a need given that they selected Asa Newell, a PF out of Georgia, with the 23rd overall pick last night.

Given the needs of all three teams, what would a trade between them look like? Here is one possible framework for a deal.

It should be noted that this is just a speculative and fun exercise to see what kind of moves can be made, not what I think the Hawks or any other teams should do or will do. That is all.

Atlanta Hawks Receive: Moses Moody

Boston Celtics Recieve: Jonathan Kuminga, Brandin Podziemski, 2026 1st round pick (via GSW, unprotected), 2028 1st round pick (via GSW, unprotected), 2031 1st round pick (top-5 protected, via GSW)

Golden State Warriors Receive: Derrick White, Mo Gueye, 2027 2nd round pick (via CLE, from ATL)

Why the Hawks would do this deal: Moody would help the Hawks' need for more shooting - he shot a career-best 37.4% from deep on 4.6 attempts per game and averaged a career-high 9.8 points per game. He's not solely reliant on his three-point shot, converting 72% of his shots at the rim (82nd percentile among all wings). Moody's a solid defender with long arms (7'0 wingspan) to get into passing lanes. He's not an elite shooter or defender, but he's solid in both areas and secured under contract for the next three years. Atlanta needs some backcourt depth in case they aren't able to re-sign Caris LeVert and Moody is a solid backup wing on a reasonable contract.

Why the Hawks would not do this deal: Gueye showed some exciting defensive flashes and the Hawks ran out of backup centers last season, so moving on from a promising third center who can also play PF in a pinch may be something they aren't willing to do.

Why the Celtics would do this deal: Jonathan Kuminga's flashes of potential are incredibly tantalizing. With Curry out in the Minnesota series, he dropped 30 points in Game 3 against a very strong Timberwolves defense. He's an incredibly athletic wing who converted on 72% of his attempts at the rim last season, good for the 87th percentile relative to all wings. One of his most useful skills is drawing tons of contact - he finished last season in the 94th percentile among wings for percentage of shots fouled on (16,5%). At only 22 years old, it's unlikely that Kuminga has hit his ceiling yet and the Celtics have plenty of minutes to offer him next season. He is also only under contract for three years, so the Celtics really are only relying on him to be a championship-caliber reserve/occasional starter for two years. He will always have some value due to his athleticism and being a wing, so there's relatively low risk for Boston in this deal. Podziemski can slide into White's role and shot 37.8% on 4.2 attempts from deep last season. He's not the defender that White is, but he is only 21 years old and there's a chance he can improve his defense to remain viable for extended stretches. He shot a respectable 66% at the rim (68th percentile among all guards) and doesn't really turn the ball over (TOV of 9.8% - 80th percentile among all guards). He has playoff experience and he's only under contract for the next two seasons. Even if neither Kuminga or Podziemski pan out, the Celtics are still getting three first-round picks for a 32-year old guard that might be approaching his declining years.

Why the Celtics would not do this deal: While Podziemski has a chance of fitting into Joe Mazzulla's system due to fitting into a high-volume three-pointer oriented offense with the Warriors, it's really hard to see how Kuminga can be a viable player for Boston unless he makes major improvements as a shooter from deep. That's not entirely unprecedented, but it would require some development n Kuminga's part that he has not shown yet.

Why the Warriors would do this deal: If the Warriors to give Steph Curry one last shot at competing for a title, there aren't very many players they could realistically acquire that would fit Golden State better than White. He averaged 16.4 points, 4.8 assists and 4.5 rebounds to go with 1.1 blocks per game, but that doesn't quite illustrate how instrumental he has been to the Celtics' core. He's an elite shooter who shot 38.4% from three-point range on a staggering 9.1 attempts per game, but White isn't limited to just shooting catch-and-shoot threes. He's a great finisher, shooting an elite 71% at the rim last season (90th percentile among all guards). Furthermore, he can operate in the midrange as well, hitting an impressive 52% of his midrange attempts (94th percentile among all guards) last season. That's even before getting to his elite defense, where he finished with a BLK% of 1.5% (98th percentile among all guards) and low rate of fouling (77th percentile among all guards). He's a veteran who can instantly fit into Golden State's aging core of Curry, Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green. Gueye is an interesting development project - he showed exciting defensive chops last season in Atlanta. He posted a BLK% of 3.3% (87th percentile) and a STL% of 2.3% (96th percentile). Gueye needs to cut down on fouls, but there's a chance he could develop into a nice backup big man who can slide in at either the 4 or 5 as a standout defender. Furthermore, Golden State would be able to hold onto important reserves like Buddy Hield and Quinten Post while also staying slightly below the tax. That gives them a chance at re-signing Gary Payton II and building out their rotation to compete with one last iteration of the roster over the next two years.

Why the Warriors would not do this deal: They are going all-in on 37-year old Steph Curry and 35-year old Jimmy Butler, sacrificing a massive portion of their future for a puncher's chance in a Western Conference that seems dominated by the OKC Thunder. White is a player who is better equipped to play off stars and a lengthy absence for Butler or Curry could lead to significant problems for Golden State. Gueye is also not the most reliable backup and he needs more development before he can play major minutes in a playoff series.