Kings Urged To Target Celtics Star, NBA Champion in Trade

The Sacramento Kings could find their next star in a trade with the Boston Celtics.

Apr 24, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown (7), forward Jayson Tatum (0), guard Derrick White (9) and forward Sam Hauser (30) walk to the bench during a timeout against the Miami Heat in the second quarter during game two of the first round for the 2024 NBA playoffs at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images / David Butler II-Imagn Images

The Sacramento Kings are coming off a rollercoaster 2025 offseason, where many felt like some big changes were coming.

After new general manager Scott Perry evaluated every player on the trade market, many assumed that the Kings would go on to part ways with Malik Monk, DeMar DeRozan, or Devin Carter. However, with the preseason starting on Wednesday, they seem to be running it back with no major trades.

With a projected starting lineup of Dennis Schroder, Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, Keegan Murray, and Domantas Sabonis, and some key bench players like Malik Monk, Keon Ellis, Nique Clifford, Dario Saric, Isaac Jones, and Drew Eubanks, the Kings have some talent to potentially make some noise in the Western Conference. However, this roster still seems like a mess.

Kings depth chart but all of the players are at their actual position:

Dennis
Zach/DeMar/Malik/Keon/Nique/Devin/TD
Keegan/Doug
Isaac/Dario
Domas/Max/Drew

Taking any form of this current roster into next season is malpractice 🤦‍♂️

— AL in CAL (@ALinCALI22) July 30, 2025

The Kings have created a logjam at the guard position, with six talented players competing for the two guard slots, including three young standouts who the team should be giving more opportunities to. However, if the Kings are legitimately looking to compete in the West with this core, they are still a piece or two away and might have to look to the trade market. Ironically, one of those moves could be to add another guard.

Should Kings target Derrick White?

Bleacher Report's Greg Swartz named an "ambitious trade target" for every NBA team during the new season, and believes the Kings should target Boston Celtics star Derrick White.

"The Sacramento Kings have plenty of offensive talent with Zach LaVine, Domantas Sabonis, DeMar DeRozan, Malik Monk and others. This team needs a lockdown perimeter defender who can also operate with the ball in his hands following the trade of De'Aaron Fox," Swartz wrote. "White is precisely what the Kings crave, even if a trade for him wouldn't be cheap."

May 14, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics guard Derrick White (9) in the first half during game five of the second round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs against the New York Knicks at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images / Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images

White, 31, has been incredible for Boston over the last couple of years, playing a huge part in their 2024 championship run, and he continued to impress last season. In the 2024-25 season, White averaged 16.4 points, 4.5 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 0.9 blocks, and 1.1 steals per game, cementing himself as one of the league's best defensive guards while improving on offense.

Derrick White from DEEP 🔥

His 9th three-pointer‼️ pic.twitter.com/catzJOsdce

— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) March 6, 2025

It would be interesting to see what the Celtics would demand in return for White, who is now entering the first season of a four-year contract extension worth $118 million. Sacramento's assets are limited, but if the Celtics wanted a package centered around an expiring DeMar DeRozan along with a couple of first-round picks, the Kings would love to bring in a player of White's caliber.

Of course, this trade is very unrealistic, but White would undoubtedly make the Kings a more competitive team.

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