New Blockbuster Three-Team Trade Proposal Sends Derrick White to Houston, Hawks Add Young Wing, Celtics Get Smith

Due to the restrictions of the second apron instituted by the NBA's collective bargaining agreement, several teams are going to have to make hard decisions about their roster. Trading away good veterans on expensive contracts is going to become more commonplace and there is no clearer example of that than the Boston Celtics.

After winning the championship just a year ago, the Celtics were unceremoniously dumped out of the second round by the New York Knicks and lost superstar forward Jayson Tatum for practically all of next season due to an Achilles injury. Furthermore, they are now up against the salary cap and will need to consider moving on from valuable starters like point guard Jrue Holiday, center Kristaps Porzingis and possibly even 2023-24 Finals MVP Jaylen Brown.

Regardless of who gets moved, the Celtics are currently $19.9 million dollars into the second apron. If they do not make a trade this summer, they will be subject to an extremely expensive luxury tax bill. ESPN's Bobby Marks reported that Boston is "staring down a combined payroll and luxury tax bill that could reach $500 million, with 11 players already under contract for next season". Because they finished the 2024-25 season over the second apron, their 2032 first-round pick cannot be traded and is currently frozen. They need to remain under the second apron in three of the next four seasons for that pick to become tradeable again and given Tatum's absence, next year seems like a great year to get under the apron.

While Porzingis and Holiday have been commonly reported as trade candidates, one name that has not gotten as much traction is Derrick White. The 32-year old guard would be an excellent fit on any contender and is already under contract for the next four seasons. However, the team's dire financial situation could influence them to trade him for appropriate value.

One team that could give up good value for White are the Houston Rockets. Despite having a great defense, they got drummed out of the playoffs by the Golden State Warriors due to a lack of shot creation and capable shooters to space the floor. Adding a player who became a core piece of the three-pointer reliant offense in Boston due to his great shooting numbers and excellent defense, as well as a former player under current Rockets coach Ime Udoka, could be very appealing for Houston. Per ESPN's Brian Windhorst, they were interested in him last summer before he signed an extension with Boston.

"For the Rockets' part, once the team saw Donovan Mitchell [Cleveland Cavaliers] and Derrick White [Boston Celtics] extend their contracts over the summer and bypass free agency, they moved on from wanting to save cap space for 2025."

The Hawks have a ton of financial flexibility this summer, which they can use to address their needs at interior defense, front court depth, shooting, and maybe a backup lead guard/ball handler. NBA insider Marc Stein has already reported that Atlanta could also look to be facilitators this summer in the trade market due to their financial flexibility, depending on if the team brings back any of Caris LeVert, Clint Capela, or Larry Nance.

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: Sam Hauser, Aaron Holiday, Cam Whitmore, 2027 2nd round pick (via MEM, from HOU), 2028 2nd round pick

Houston Rockets Receive: Derrick White, Vit Krejci, JD Davison, 2025 2nd round pick (via WAS, from BOS, #32), 2030 2nd round pick (via ATL), 2031 2nd round pick (via ATL), 2031 2nd round pick (via BOS)

Boston Celtics Receive: Jabari Smith Jr, Jock Landale, 2025 1st round pick (via PHX, from HOU, #10)

Note: this deal would need to happen on draft day due to the Steppien rules against

Why the Hawks would do this deal: Atlanta's put a lot of attention towards building a stash of capable wings and this deal would fit under that vision. Hauser is a quietly important part of the Celtics' rotation because he can play either the 3 or the 4, shot 41.6% from deep on 5.6 attempts a game and has turned himself into a capable isolation defender. He has a solid midrange game as well, shooting 56% on midrange attempts this season and finishing in the 94th percentile for that shot among all forwards. Holiday is a reliable backup point guard who shot 39.8% from deep on limited volume and filled in for the Rockets when necessary. He would fit the Hawks' need to add one more ball-handler to take some minutes off of Trae Young and has a team option for this year at only $5 million. Whitmore fell out of the rotation last season, but he is an incredibly athletic wing who is still only 20 years old. He could be an intriguing development project for Atlanta to take on and add to their young core of wing-sized players in Zaccharie Risacher, Dyson Daniels and Jalen Johnson.

Why the Hawks would not do this deal: They are giving up Vit Krejci in this deal, which could be a notable loss if Krejci refines his passing abilities and turns into a wing with playmaking upside. Furthermore, Hauser clearly benefitted from the spacing-heavy lineups that the Celtics ran and it's hard to project him to have exactly the same success on an Atlanta team with significantly less shooting talent.

Why the Rockets would do this deal: It could credibly be argued that White has been the Celtics' third-best player throughout their current iteration. Across his 76 regular-season appearances, White averaged a career-high 16.4 points while also adding a career-best 4.5 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 0.9 steals and 1.1 blocks per contest. He's 6'4 with a 6'7 wingspan that he uses extremely well when guarding on the perimeter - White has been one of the NBA's best on-ball and perimeter defenders for years now. White feasts off catch-and-shoot opportunities, which he could have in Houston with more growth from Alperen Sengun and Jalen Green. A defensive grouping of White, Amen Thompson and Dillon Brooks would be enough to stymie practically any lineup of shooters while improving Houston's offense. For the second straight season, Krejci shot over 40% from three, going for a career-high 43.7% this season on an average of 3.6 attempts per game. In fact, Krejci ranked in the 92nd percentile in three-point accuracy per Cleaning the Glass. Davison is a young point guard who's shown flashes in the G League, but ultimately needs more refinement before he's ready to contribute to an NBA team. The future of Houston's backcourt is a big question and this trade would help them answer it.

Why the Rockets would not do this deal: The appeal of getting White has to also be considered against the opportunity of selecting a great rotation player with similar impact at a much cheaper price with the 10th overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. Adding an excellent wing like Carter Bryant or taking a chance on prospects that have slipped out of their projected, top-five range could be a more exciting long-term option for Houston as they build their young core.

Why the Celtics would do this deal: Replacing Jayson Tatum in the aggregate is going to be a priority for the Celtics next season and landing someone like Jabari Smith Jr would help with that. Smith is at his best as a rotation wing who can space the floor and guard 3-5. In the 18 games that he did play coming off the bench, Smith averaged around 13 points and 8 rebounds on 49/37/82% splits. However, those numbers were with a roster that lacks the spacing Boston enjoys. A better version of Smith that is more capable of delivering starter impact could be unearthed in Boston, which would be extremely valuable to have when Tatum returns. Landale fell out of the rotation for Houston last season, but he could have a big role in Boston with the possible loss of both Al Horford and Kristaps Porzingis. Even though he isn't a great finisher at the rim, he does have some touch around the basket as he shot a blistering 61% from inside the free throw area in 2023-24. Landale is also a respectable offensive rebounder and can serve as a play finisher for playmaking guards or forwards. Boston will have starting center minutes available next season and Landale seems like a possible beneficiary. Furthermore, they get a top-10 draft pick in an excellent 2025 draft that can be used to add a cost-controlled rotation player with upside or packaged in a trade for a star.

Why the Celtics would not do this deal: Smith has a inconsistent handle and doesn't pass very often, both of which needs to be resolved if he is to assume a significant workload. The risk of moving on from a proven starter like White is also significant and getting the 10th overall pick, which has a significant chance of amounting to nothing, is a big gamble for a team with title aspirations in 2026-27 like Boston.

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