Derrick White Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Celtics Notes: Simons, Queta, White, Scheierman

September 19th, 2025 at 6:00pm CST by Eli Cohen

The Celtics have taken care of much of the business they were expected to address this summer, including trading Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday in cost-saving moves, then re-routing Georges Niang to Utah for similar reasons. The one question mark left is Anfernee Simons, who was acquired in the Holiday trade with the Blazers, but Simons’ situation likely won’t have an imminent resolution, according to Brian Robb of Mass Live.

As Robb writes, in addition to being a talented player capable of picking up some of the scoring load for the Celtics with Jayson Tatum out for the year, Simons also remains their one major trade chip outside of the core players of Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, and Payton Pritchard.

Because of that, it’s unlikely the Celtics will rush into a deal involving Simons, in Robb’s view. If the time comes to move him, it will likely be in a trade that helps the team’s long-term plans of returning to title contention once Tatum recovers from his Achilles injury.

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Another lingering question for Boston is who will win the battle for the starting center role. The Celtics currently have Neemias Queta, Chris Boucher, Luka Garza, and Xavier Tillman Sr. on their roster, none of whom have an established track record as a starter. Robb speculates that Queta will have pole position due to his combination of rim protection and rebounding, though he says the window is open for someone like Boucher to beat him out in training camp. Robb also notes that health will likely play a big part in determining Tillman’s role, as the former Spartan big man has dealt with knee problems over the last two years that have limited his contributions.
With Tatum out, White will be counted on to carry a much larger offensive load than the role he’s become accustomed to in Boston. Chris Forsberg and the NBC Sports Boston Staff discuss what they hope to see from White this season, ranging from increasing the volume of his scoring output and achieving his first 20-point-per-game season to being named to his first All-Star team. Forsberg notes that in games without Tatum last season, White averaged 20.8 points, 5.8 assists, and 3.5 rebounds per contest, though he adds that the veteran guard has, at times, been prone to cold shooting streaks, which will be harder for the Celtics to weather now.
The Celtics’ backcourt rotation appears to be set with Pritchard, White, and Simons, but if any of them were to miss time, Robb thinks an under-the-radar player could pick up the slack: Baylor Scheierman. Scheierman impressed the team toward the end of last season with his ability to function as a play-maker in the pick-and-roll, Robb writes, adding that the Celtics will look for more of that from him this season if he’s able to carve out a role for himself off the bench.

Celtics Notes: White, Walsh, Tatum, Simons, Luis

September 7th, 2025 at 10:57am CST by Arthur Hill

After achieving his dream of playing for a championship team in 2024, Celtics guard Derrick White never expected it to be torn apart so quickly. Second apron limitations and luxury tax concerns, combined with Jayson Tatum‘s Achilles injury, caused the organization to make several cost-cutting moves this summer. Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday were both traded, while Luke Kornet left in free agency and Al Horford figures to do so too.

White talked about the changes this week in an interview with Liam McKeone of Sports Illustrated.

“That is the tough part about the business,” he said. “But it is a business at the end of the day. Jrue, KP, Luke, all of them, it was definitely tough to see them leave. You wish we could play with them forever, but this is kind of the way it is. I always wish them the best. There will be a lot of fun when we see them again. and I’m just excited to play with the people we do have.”

White is expected to take on a larger leadership role as he enters his fourth full season in Boston, and he may have to provide more scoring as well. He averaged a career-high 16.4 PPG last season while still earning votes for Defensive Player of the Year honors.

“I’m excited,” he said. “It’s obviously a different year than last year, but I think we have the same expectations and standards. So I’ve been attacking this offseason as, ‘I gotta get better.’ It’s been really fun trying to get in the gym and improve on things that I need to work on. When we get back to Boston, it’ll be a lot of fun.”

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Jordan Walsh is the latest person inside the organization to rave about the progress Tatum has made in his recovery, per Darren Hartwell of NBC Sports Boston. During a recent appearance on the Celtics Talk Podcast, the third-year forward indicated that Tatum is well ahead of expectations. “We’ve seen him so often,” Walsh said. “I’ve seen him from when he messed up his Achilles to now, and it’s a big difference. He’s moving around way better. So he’s progressing well. I’m definitely happy to see him getting back healthy.”
Anfernee Simons‘ $27.7MM contract provides the Celtics with their best chance to trade for a starting center, Brian Robb of MassLive states in a mailbag column. He notes that Boston has been accumulating traded player exceptions, but they won’t become useful until next offseason if the team plans to move below the tax threshold. Assuming the current roster remains intact, Robb expects Neemias Queta to get the first shot at the starting job, but adds that Chris Boucher and Luka Garza are both offensive threats who fit well into coach Joe Mazzulla‘s system.
RJ Luis was recently honored by Ecuador president Daniel Noboa for becoming the nation’s first NBA player, per Souichi Terada of MassLive. The rookie swingman, whose mother was born in Ecuador, was acquired from Utah in a trade last month after he signed a two-way contract with the Jazz.

Raptors Rumors: Webster, Trade Talks, Barrett

August 21st, 2025 at 9:23am CST by Luke Adams

It didn’t come as a surprise to people around the NBA that the Raptors ultimately named general manager Bobby Webster their permanent head of basketball operations, Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report said in a live stream on Wednesday (YouTube link). In fact, according to Fischer, the only surprise during the process was that Toronto publicly announced a search for a new top executive after parting ways with president Masai Ujiri.

“Someone I consult with who is involved in (executive) search firm stuff was taken aback by the fact that was even put out publicly,” Fischer said. “He was taking it – and the league was taking it – as a foregone conclusion that Bobby Webster would be running the show.”

The Raptors, who traded away Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby during the 2023/24 season, have missed the playoffs for three straight seasons, but the expectation is that they’ll be more competitive going forward, per Fischer.

“The Raptors have definitely been given some type of formal pressure, some type of direction from their new leadership of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment to end this sort of rebuild era they’ve been in,” Fischer said, adding that the team will be aiming to claim a top-six playoff spot this season, not simply make the play-in tournament.

Here’s more on the Raptors:

Following up on rumors from earlier in the offseason, Fischer confirmed that the Raptors were having trade discussions involving the No. 9 overall pick leading up to the draft and talked to the Celtics, among other teams. “They had conversations with Boston about both Jrue Holiday and Derrick White, trying to figure out ways to add either veteran into their backcourt,” Fischer said. Toronto ultimately kept the No. 9 pick and used it to select Collin Murray-Boyles.
While he acknowledged that it’s hard to predict trade-deadline activity in August, Fischer suggested that he fully anticipates the Raptors will continue seeking win-now help during the 2025/26 season. “I have the Raptors already earmarked as a buyer,” he said. “Now, if things go awry (or) if there’s something injury misfortune, maybe the Raptors don’t fully go that direction. But if everything goes as intended, if they’re faring night after night in the standings as they hope to be, as they intend to be, I’ve got the Raptors as a buyer.”
Veteran forward RJ Barrett looks like the top trade candidate on Toronto’s roster, according to Fischer, who noted that Barrett came up in the Brandon Ingram trade talks with the Pelicans in February, but New Orleans didn’t have much interest in him. “RJ Barrett’s representation is fully aware that he is someone that could be discussed in trades moving forward for the Raptors,” Fischer said.
In case you missed it, we took a closer look over the weekend at the Raptors’ offseason so far.

Celtics Notes: Mazzulla, Pritchard, Queta, Luis

August 16th, 2025 at 7:17pm CST by Arthur Hill

Joe Mazzulla has the security of a new contract extension, but he’ll be facing the toughest coaching job of his career when the upcoming season tips off, writes Christopher L. Gasper of The Boston Globe.

Since taking over as head coach shortly before the start of the 2022/23 season, Mazzulla has been able to rely on one of the most talented rosters in the league. That’s changed due to an Achilles injury that might sideline Jayson Tatum for the entire season, along with cost-cutting trades that sent out Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis and the loss of Luke Kornet and probably Al Horford in free agency.

The current version of the Celtics isn’t nearly as well equipped for Mazzulla’s preferred approach to the game, which includes a heavy reliance on three-point shots. Gasper states that Mazzulla will have to be flexible and show a willingness to adapt the offense to get the most out of his players.

Former Celtics player and longtime radio analyst Cedric Maxwell tells Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe that Mazzulla’s natural competitiveness will be an asset for the depleted roster.

“Here’s the beauty about all that,” Maxwell said. “Joe Mazzulla’s not going to let them take a step back. Joe Mazzulla is going to use that as fuel to have these guys compete on a nightly basis. We’ve seen teams in the NBA, perhaps not as talented as other teams but at the end, because they played hard every single night, you get your opportunities to win.”

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Jaylen Brown and Derrick White are the only certain starters heading into training camp, but Brian Robb of MassLive believes Payton Pritchard should be in that category as well. Robb states in a mailbag column that Pritchard is most likely to join White as a backcourt starter because Anfernee Simons doesn’t appear to be in the team’s long-term plans. The frontcourt may be more flexible, Robb suggests, with Sam Hauser and Neemias Queta starting most of the time, but Chris Boucher being used when Mazzulla wants a double-big starting lineup.
Queta suffered a minor injury to his right hip area during an exhibition game this week in preparation for EuroBasket, relays Souichi Terada of MassLive. Queta is reportedly fine and will be ready to represent Portugal when the tournament begins.
RJ Luis got two-way offers from the Celtics and Jazz in June before deciding to sign with Utah, Jake Fischer of The Stein Line said in a recent Bleacher Report livestream (YouTube link; hat tip to Robb). Boston landed Luis as part of a trade involving Georges Niang and draft picks earlier this month. Luis wasn’t able to play for Utah’s Summer League team due to a leg injury.

Celtics Notes: White, Roster Spot, Walsh, Brown, WNBA

August 2nd, 2025 at 7:31pm CST by Arthur Hill

Derrick White shared the story of being traded from the Spurs to the Celtics as he launched his new “White Noise” podcast, relays Hayden Bird of The Boston Globe. White has become a fan favorite in Boston and played an important role in the 2024 championship, but he was wasn’t eager to leave San Antonio when the deal was reached at the 2022 deadline.

“Getting traded is never easy. I think it’s probably easier in the offseason, you kind of get time to relax and figure [things] out,” he said. “But getting traded in the season is one of the craziest things that I’ve had to deal with in my NBA career. You’re on a team, you’re committed to them, you’re trying to do everything you can to help them win games, and then one day they’re like, ‘All right, you’re on the Celtics.’ I was hurt, definitely, when [the Spurs] traded me.”

White reacted to the deal by “playing dominoes and drinking” in his hotel room with Spurs trainer and close friend Brandon Bowman. He recalls that several players and coaches joined them, giving White a sendoff party that nearly caused him to miss the flight that the Celtics set up for him. His feelings on Boston changed quickly as the home crowd gave him a standing ovation when he checked into his first game, making him feel like “this is where I’m supposed to be at.”

Also on the podcast, White reacted to the offseason losses of former teammates Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porzingis and Luke Kornet.

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The Celtics are likely to keep a roster spot open throughout the season to hold down payroll, Brian Robb of MassLive states in a mailbag column. If they sign a veteran before the season begins, they have the option to waive Jordan Walsh, who only has a $200K guarantee on his $2.2MM salary until opening night, but Robb believes that’s less likely following his strong performance during Summer League.
In an Instagram interview with The School of Hard Knockz, Jaylen Brown talked about relying on faith to handle the disappointments and high expectations that come with being a professional athlete (hat tip to Meadow Barrow of MassLive). “I’ve dealt with anxiety, even depression,” Brown said. “I’ve been to some very dark places, but I feel like those dark places have allowed my light to shine.”
A group led by Celtics minority owner Steve Pagliuca has reached an agreement to buy the WNBA’s Connecticut Sun and move the franchise to Boston, sources tell Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. The group will reportedly pay a record $325MM to the Mohegan Tribe for the team, along with $100MM to build a new practice facility in Boston. The league responded by issuing a statement saying that “relocation decisions are made by the WNBA Board of Governors and not by individual teams,” and that “no groups from Boston applied for a team” during the expansion process.

Celtics Notes: Lillard, Starting Lineup, Davison, Gonzalez

July 26th, 2025 at 6:12pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Celtics were reported as a potential landing spot for Damian Lillard after he was waived and stretched by Milwaukee, but Lillard never gave serious thought to joining anyone but the Trail Blazers, writes Brian Robb of MassLive. At an introductory press conference this week in Portland, Lillard expressed his excitement over returning to his former team and mentioned a recruiting effort by Jrue Holiday.

“As soon as I was waived and obviously [Jrue] knows that I live here and built my home here and stuff,” Lillard said. “He sent me the eyeball emoji. I kind of knew already like — I already knew where I was pivoting to when he sent it but I didn’t want to say nothing too soon, so here we are.”

Although Lillard isn’t expected to play this season while recovering from a torn Achilles, he could have been an intriguing long-term investment for Boston once Jayson Tatum returns from his own Achilles injury. However, Robb points out that the Celtics couldn’t have come close to matching the three-year, $42MM deal Lillard got from the Blazers. They are currently limited to the $5.685MM taxpayer mid-level exception, and using that exception would have required other moves to get far enough below the second apron.

There’s more from Boston:

In a mailbag column, Robb projects Neemias Queta to be the Celtics’ starting center on opening night if the current roster remains in place. Jaylen Brown and Derrick White are the only certain members of the starting five, and Robb expects the other two positions to come down to decisions between Payton Pritchard and Anfernee Simons, and between Sam Hauser and Georges Niang with Josh Minott as a possible wild card.
This week’s release of JD Davison was a result of him not showing sufficient NBA potential during his three years with the organization, Robb adds in the same piece. He puts the chances of Ben Simmons being signed to fill the open roster spot at “10-20%,” stating that the former No. 1 overall pick will likely get better financial offers elsewhere.
Spanish basketball legend Rudy Fernandez offers a ringing endorsement of Celtics’ first-round pick Hugo Gonzalez, per Zack Cox of The Boston Herald. Fernandez watched the 19-year-old shooting guard develop from a young prospect into a regular contributor with Real Madrid. “I always tried to instill in him the idea of committing to improving the team whenever he’s on the floor, and he’s done that perfectly,” Fernandez said. “He’s got the physical tools, good hands, a strong understanding of the game on both ends, and he’s a solid standstill shooter. Maybe he could improve his movement shooting, especially coming off screens, but he’s the type of player who gets better every day.”

Eastern Notes: White, Langdon, Beasley, Johnson, Jakucionis

July 9th, 2025 at 1:59pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Celtics traded away two starters this offseason and Derrick White‘s four-year, $118MM extension has kicked in for 2025/26. But he was reasonably sure he wouldn’t be dealt, he told Chris Forsberg of the Celtics Talk Podcast (hat tip to Brian Robb of Masslive.com).

“I think every summer is pretty crazy, especially nowadays,” White said. “But I didn’t feel too worried about anything. My agent and Brad (Stevens) had been talking and all the other rumors and stuff, I wasn’t really too worried about. I mean, I feel like it’s cool to be wanted by other teams, but I wanted to stay in Boston, and I was glad they wanted to keep me.”

Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:

Pistons top exec Trajan Langdon admitted that the gambling investigation involving Malik Beasley news left them “not much time” to pivot,” Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press tweets. The Pistons pulled their three-year, $42MM offer to Beasley, an unrestricted free agent, when the news broke. “I was able to communicate with Malik and his agent Saturday, which was obviously right before we could start talking to free agents on Sunday,” Langdon said. “It was disappointing for us, because we were excited to get him back.”
Lottery pick Tre Johnson strives for greatness, which is one big reason why the Wizards are excited about his future, Josh Robbins of The Athletic writes. “I really don’t have too much of a life outside of basketball, and that was literally a choice up to me because of just how good I wanted to be,” Johnson said.
Kasparas Jakucionis, the Heat‘s first-round pick, had a rough time at the California Classic Summer League, Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald writes. He score just 12 points on 1-of-15 (6.7%) shooting from the field, including 0-of-11 from three-point range, in his first three summer league games. However, he’s not panicking over his showing. “I think I need to just settle in more, play at my own pace, don’t get sped up too much as I was these three games,” Jakucionis said. “I didn’t feel myself in those games. But I think that’s normal. It’s a process, so I’m just happy to be here, happy to be able to learn from coaches, from other guys by working out, watching film and just understanding the game.”

Celtics Rumors: White, Horford, Kornet, Gonzalez

June 29th, 2025 at 8:02pm CST by Eli Cohen

The Celtics have had one of the busiest offseasons of any team ahead of the start of free agency, having already agreed to trade Jrue Holiday to the Trail Blazers and Kristaps Porzingis to the Hawks, and they might not be done.

With Boston still working to move off salary and create extra cap flexibility in the wake of Jayson Tatum‘s Achilles tear, Anfernee Simons, Georges Niang, and Sam Hauser have all been mentioned as trade candidates. There has also been speculation about whether Jaylen Brown or Derrick White could be moved, though Celtics vice president of basketball operations Mike Zarren made it clear in recent days that the team has not come close to trading either player.

According to Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link), one rival team was told the Celtics would have insisted on a “Mikal Bridges-type” package to trade White.

The Knicks’ deal for Bridges last season included five first-round picks (four unprotected), a pick swap, and a second-round pick. The Magic’s recent trade for Desmond Bane required a similar package, with Orlando sending out four unprotected picks and one pick swap along with Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Cole Anthony for salary-matching purposes.

White averaged a career-high 16.4 points and 4.5 rebounds per game this past season for the Celtics, along with 4.8 assists and 1.1 blocks. He also shot 38.4% from three on a career-best 9.1 attempts per contest. The 30-year-old guard is in the first year of a four-year, $118MM contract that includes a player option in the 2028/29 season.

Here’s more on the Celtics:

Free agent center Al Horford is weighing his options and is unlikely to come to a decision right away when free agency opens tomorrow, reports Adam Himmelsbach of the Boston Globe (via Twitter). The Celtics have been looking into flipping newly-acquired Simons and Niang in the hopes of retaining one or both of Horford or Luke Kornet, though Horford is expected to have several suitors, including, potentially, the Knicks.
Speaking of Kornet, the veteran center proved himself a valuable rotation big man this season, averaging 6.0 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 1.0 block in just 18.6 minutes per game this season. Brian Robb of MassLive broke down the teams who might be in the mix for Kornet this summer. His list includes the Spurs and Clippers, who are expected to consider pursuing the big man, as well as the Warriors, Bucks, and Hornets, the latter of whom are in dire need of frontcourt depth after trading Jusuf Nurkic for Collin Sexton. Robb adds that there is a mutual fondness between Kornet and the team, which holds his Bird rights, but re-signing him without any additional cost-cutting moves would push the Celtics back into the second apron, which they are hoping to avoid.
In case you missed it, the Celtics reportedly sought prospects who might be willing to accept 80% of the rookie scale contract at No. 28 in the 2025 draft. The player they selected, Hugo Gonzalez, didn’t agree ahead of time to those terms, however.

Celtics’ Zarren Dismisses Brown, White Rumors

June 27th, 2025 at 12:36am CST by Luke Adams

As the Celtics work this offseason to move below the restrictive second tax apron, there has been some speculation about the possibility that the team would be willing to trade stars Jaylen Brown and/or Derrick White as part of its roster overhaul.

While most reporting on the subject has indicated that Boston has no desire to move either player and is simply listening in case a potential trade partner makes a massive offer, Celtics vice president of basketball operations Mike Zarren believes even those reports have overstated the team’s interest in making a deal involving Brown or White.

“Those two guys are really, really great NBA players, and there hasn’t been anything close to serious about trading them,” Zarren said, per Souichi Terada of MassLive. “I’m not sure where all this reporting came from but those guys are key parts of our team, and we’re lucky to have them here.”

Zarren’s comments may not entirely shut down speculation about Brown and White, but if the Celtics were going to move one of them this offseason, it likely would’ve happened before or during the first round of the draft, when lottery picks could have been in play.

Having agreed to separate deals involving Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis, Boston no longer faces the same level of urgency to continue shedding salary, though role players like Sam Hauser and newly acquired Anfernee Simons continue to be mentioned as possible trade candidates.

The Raptors were one of the teams that inquired about White, Zach Lowe of The Ringer confirmed on Thursday in an episode of his podcast (hat tip to Brian Robb of MassLive).

“There were reports that the Raptors offered the No. 9 pick for Derrick White,” Lowe said. “I’m told that’s true but that it happened a month and a half ago after Jayson Tatum got hurt, and Boston laughed at that offer and said, ‘We need way more than No. 9 for Derrick White.'”

Charania’s Latest: Durant, Celtics, Giannis

June 26th, 2025 at 4:45pm CST by Luke Adams

Kevin Durant will become eligible to sign an extension in July and there’s an expectation that he and the Rockets are going to explore that possibility once the trade sending him from Phoenix to Houston is official, ESPN’s Shams Charania said on Thursday’s episode of First Take (YouTube link).

“The goal right now for Kevin Durant and the Rockets is for him to retire in Houston,” Charania said. “They’re going to eventually, this offseason, discuss a contract extension and figure out where that lands.”

Durant, who will turn 37 in September, will make roughly $54.7MM during the final year of his current contract in 2025/26. Once he’s traded to Houston, he’ll be immediately eligible to sign a two-year extension worth up to about $122MM.

If he were to wait six months, he could get up to nearly $124MM on that two-year deal — the first-year max salary would be the same, but he could get an 8% raise for year two instead of 5%.

Given the minimal difference between those two hypothetical extensions, I’d expect the Rockets and Durant to try to get something done before the regular season begins rather than waiting until January.

Here are a couple more items of interest from Charania:

Although they reportedly spoke to teams with lottery picks ahead of Wednesday’s first round, the Celtics were “not close” to trading Jaylen Brown, Charania said on ESPN’s First Take (YouTube link). Charania reiterated that Boston isn’t looking to move Brown or Derrick White and would only consider it if it an offer “blows them out of the water.” While Sam Hauser and Anfernee Simons are still trade candidates to monitor, Charania suggests that the brunt of the Celtics’ cost-cutting moves are already done, with Jrue Holiday headed to Portland and Kristaps Porzingis going to Atlanta.
After reporting in mid-May that Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo is “open-minded” about considering possible options for his future outside of Milwaukee, Charania said on ESPN’s Get Up on Thursday (YouTube link) that that’s still the case, even though the two-time MVP hasn’t requested a trade to this point. “He’s going to remain open-minded,” Charania said (hat tip to RealGM). “I don’t think his future is necessarily tied to this week, to free agency week. It’s going to be a process where you see how this team looks into July – well into July, potentially – and then ultimately he will see how the Bucks look and how the chess pieces look across the league and ultimately have some form of a resolution.”