'Shocked': Derrick White Gets Brutally Honest About Spurs Trade to Celtics
After spending four and a half seasons with the San Antonio Spurs, Derrick White was sent to the Boston Celtics in part of a midseason trade. The move has worked out quite well for him but at the time, there was no shortage of emotions.
Given how much Spurs coach Gregg Popovich valued the leadership and unselfish play that White had brought to the team for years, it was a bit of a surprising move for many around the NBA.
In an interview with Mirin Fader of The Ringer, White shared his reaction to being traded from the Spurs to the Celtics. He made it clear he loved his time in San Antonio but was 'shocked' about the move.
“I was shocked,” White says. In a few seconds, his life suddenly looked completely different.
Where am I going to live? he thought. And there were more serious concerns. Hannah was around 30 weeks pregnant. They’d have to find new doctors. And then a tiny seed of doubt, one he had been trying to suppress throughout his career, surfaced:
Why didn’t they want me?
He’d loved his time in San Antonio. He loved Pop. “It was a world of emotions,” White says.
With the Spurs not being in a contention timeline, it made sense to part with White. He's playing on the second season of a four-year, $70 million contract extension that has him signed through 2025.
After the Spurs used consecutive lottery picks on wing players, clearing playing time long-term for those prospects made a lot of sense. It's possible San Antonio ends up with another prospect to develop on the wing using the No. 9 pick in the 2022 NBA Draft.
White has provided the Celtics with no shortage of timely postseason contributions. He's a critical reason they made it through the Eastern Conference Finals and are tied 1-1 with the Golden State Warriors entering Game 3 of the NBA Finals.
You can follow Grant Afseth on Twitter at @GrantAfseth.
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