Clippers' Ideal Trade Target May Now Be Available After Celtics' Game 7 Loss

The Boston Celtics became the latest favorite to suffer an unexpected loss in the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs. After losing Game 7 at home to the Philadelphia 76ers, the Celtics will be left with significant offseason questions. On one hand, they exceeded all expectations in the regular season. On the other hand, they lost to an underdog while having home-court advantage and a 3-1 lead after entering the playoffs as one of the title favorites.

If this disappointing loss results in big changes in Boston, the Los Angeles Clippers could be a beneficiary. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are obviously not going anywhere, but if everything else is on the table, it's difficult to come up with a more perfect trade target for the Clippers than Derrick White.

Derrick White Would Make the Perfect Backcourt Partner for Darius Garland

White didn't play up to his standards offensively this season. His shot didn't fall all year, and this trend continued into the postseason. He had a miserable 45% True Shooting in the series due to making only 27.3% of his threes. Averaging 11.1 points and 3.1 assists in 35.9 minutes per game, it certainly wasn't White's best performance as a Celtic.

Considering that White will turn 32 this summer, this could lead to the Celtics moving on from him. They have done this type of trade many times, parting ways with the likes of Jrue Holiday and Marcus Smart when it looked like they were on the decline.

One man's declining star could be another's treasure. Even if he continues his decline, White is an excellent fit in LA next to Darius Garland.

White is the prototypical three-and-D guard who thrives next to ball-dominant stars. He doesn't need the ball to be effective and shoots threes with volume. Even if they aren't going in, opposing defenses will always respect and guard him out there.

Defensively, White is as good as they come. Not only can he guard multiple positions at a high level, but he also makes a ton of help defense plays. He is one of the best guards ever at protecting the rim and forcing turnovers. He can more than make up for Garland's defensive shortcomings in the backcourt.

The Clippers have the financial flexibility to absorb White's contract. The veteran combo guard makes $30.3 million next season and is under contract for two more seasons after that.

If LA moves on from Brook Lopez and Bogdan Bogdanovic this summer, they will have plenty of cap space to just take White in. LA could send Derrick Jones Jr. and Kris Dunn in such a deal. Sign-and-trade scenarios, including Bennedict Mathurin or John Collins, would also be a possibility. The Clippers would have to include some draft capital, but they have enough first-round picks in their coffers to make it work.

If the Clippers need to convince Kawhi Leonard to stay in LA, few players would do the trick as well as White. He may not have the star reputation as some other names, but he is a proven winner who can fit anywhere. Depending on how the Celtics are feeling about their team and White going forward, there could be an intriguing opportunity here for the Clippers.