Jun 17, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics guard Derrick White (9) handles the ball against the Dallas Mavericks in game five of the 2024 NBA Finals at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Peter Casey-Imagn Images Peter Casey-Imagn Images

Trade proposal sends $118 million guard from Celtics to Mavericks

Originally posted on Dallas Mavericks on SI
By Austin Veazey | Last updated May 19, 2025 5:14 PM ET

The Dallas Mavericks enter the offseason looking for a point guard as Kyrie Irving recovers from ACL surgery. He's not expected to be back until January as of now, and the only other guards on the roster are Jaden Hardy and Brandon Williams. That is far from good enough for a team looking to contend for a championship. As we saw with the Oklahoma City Thunder-Denver Nuggets series, having a lot of trustworthy different ball-handlers can be a difference in the playoffs.

The difficult part about finding a point guard is Dallas doesn't have much financial flexibility this offseason. Getting Caleb Martin and Max Christie in bad trades during the season added about $16 million to the cap sheet, and the extension of Hardy added another $6 million. That means that nearly any quality addition will have to come via trade.

The Boston Celtics are also in a tricky situation this offseason. If they don't make any changes, they'll have the most expensive payroll in NBA history, and with the tax penalties that would ensue with that, no one thinks it would be worth it. Jayson Tatum also tore his Achilles in the second round of the playoffs against the New York Knicks, so the likelihood that they're able to contend next season is not high.

That's why Sam Quinn of CBS Sports has the Celtics trading Derrick White to the Mavericks for P.J. Washington, Caleb Martin, Dwight Powell, a 2029 first-round pick (Lakers), and a 2032 first-round pick.

Among the reasons he mentions is that White would fit Nico Harrison's "Defense wins championships" mantra that he's been blabbering about since the trade. It would also allow Boston to see what they really have in Payton Pritchard, who won the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year this season.

This seems like too strong of a price to pay for Dallas, but Harrison has made it known that he's not thinking about the future. But sending out two first-round picks for Derrick White when he could only get one for Luka Doncic is horrific asset management. Especially when he'd be sending out P.J. Washington in this trade, a player he just sent out a first-round pick for 15 months ago.

While Derrick White could be a good fit in Dallas with his defense and shooting, it doesn't seem likely that the Mavericks could or even should make this work.

This article first appeared on Dallas Mavericks on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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