Getty

Derrick White is one of the best two-way players in the NBA today.

The Boston Celtics are entering a new era less than two years after winning an NBA championship. Celtics guard Derrick White is on the verge of making history this season in the absence of Jayson Tatum.

ESPN released their Top 100 Players list on Wednesday, with White ranked 26th and higher than stars like Joel Embiid, Karl-Anthony Towns, Ja Morant and Trae Young. Tim Bontemps projected White to have a big year due to Tatum’s injury.

Jaylen Brown, who came in at No. 19, is coming off knee surgery this summer. If White capitalizes on his opportunity to flourish even more, he could earn his first All-Star selection.

“With Jayson Tatum out, White — like Jaylen Brown — could have a chance to burnish his individual accomplishments, and with an increase in individual stats could have a shot at making his first All-Star team this season. Some of that might depend on whether he can keep a Celtics team that has lost Tatum, Jrue Holiday, Al Horford and Kristaps Porzingis in the playoff mix,” Bontemps wrote.

If White gets the All-Star nod, he’ll be the 29th player in Celtics history to be named as an All-Star. He’s also predicted to average 16.5 points, 5.0 assists and 1.1 blocks per game next season, but his ultimate bread and butter is his impact as a two-way player.

Celtics received multiple offers for Derrick White

One of the biggest news this past summer was the Boston Celtics trading away Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis to get out of the second apron. The Celtics knew they couldn’t compete for a title without Jayson Tatum, so they decided to balance things out financially.

While Holiday and Porzingis didn’t bring back a lot of value, the Celtics reportedly received multiple offers for Derrick White and Jaylen Brown, as per ClutchPoints’ Brett Siegel. One of the offers they received for White was from the Toronto Raptors, centered around the No. 9 pick of the 2025 NBA draft.

Another offer included two first-round picks and a first-round pick swap, but the Celtics turned it down. Jake Fischer of The Stein Line reported back in June that Boston is looking for what the Brooklyn Nets got for Mikal Bridges. The New York Knicks had to part ways with five first-round picks to acquire the NBA’s Iron Man.

Rockets Urged to Trade Derrick White to Boston

The Houston Rockets lost point guard Fred VanVleet to a season-ending ACL injury earlier this week. The Rockets are restricted by the salary cap from making any additions, so they might need to wait until some of their newly signed free agents are eligible to get traded.

The Ringer’s Bill Simmons, who is a huge Boston Celtics fan, urged the Rockets to send VanVleet to Beantown in exchange for Derrick White.

“Derrick White is the dramatic name. Give me some s*** back for Derrick White. That Phoenix pick you have in 2027, that’s coming back. You’re giving me real stuff for that. I think Sheppard probably has to be in it too,” Simmons said on “The Bill Simmons Podcast.”

VanVleet has a default no-trade clause due to signing a one-year deal plus a player option this offseason. He has to waive it first before the Rockets can trade him to Boston or someplace else.