Karalis: Three years later, the Derrick White trade should be considered among Boston's all-time heists

Three years ago, Brad Stevens pulled off what should go down as one of the best trades in Celtics history. For most franchises, acquiring Derrick White for Romeo Langford, Josh Richardson, a late first-round pick, and a future pick swap would be near the top of their lists. Unfortunately for Stevens, he is still looking up at some heists pulled off by Red Auerbach and Danny Ainge. 

It doesn’t matter much. Stevens has already racked up an impressive array of moves that built a champion in Boston, even if the rules make it tougher to completely swindle other teams. The move for White might be as close as it gets, but even that distinction gets murky when you consider the Spurs wanted to lose that trade so they could bottom out in time for the Victor Wembanyama chase. 

The Spurs couldn't afford to win games, which meant they couldn't afford to keep White. Stevens happened to recognize, more than most, what White brought to the table. Bringing him to Boston has been more impactful than people ever expected. His versatility on both ends of the court, including his ability to adjust his game as needed, has turned him into an indispensable member of the team. 

White was directed to Joe Mazzulla immediately to pick up the team’s defensive principles under then-head coach Ime Udoka. In his first full season in Boston, he was in a race with Marcus Smart and Blake Griffin to take the most charges (he finished second with 13, two behind Griffin). When Mazzulla took over and the Celtics adjusted their scheme the following season, White’s charges dropped by about half (seven) but he blocked 20 more shots. It got him onto the All-Defensive team for the first of two consecutive years. 

“He's one of the smartest players I've coached, with his ability to think in real-time, situationally, what needs to be done,” Mazzulla recently said about White. “Defensively, that was the first thing we watched (when he arrived in Boston), our defensive teach tape, where he was going to make an impact and how we were going to use his versatility.” 

The growth of that relationship has been critical for White, who has praised Mazzulla many times for helping him becoming the player he is. We caught a glimpse of that relationship in a recent mic’d up moment before facing the Knicks. Mazzulla walked up to White and said “my point guard,” to which White responded, “I love you.” 

I really gets no more wholesome than that. 

“He’s believed in me, and he’s always just given me the utmost confidence,” White said just before the break. “To have a coach that always believes in you and trusts in you, it means a lot. He’s the best. I got a lot of love for him.”

White has turned that confidence from his coach into becoming the kind of shooter no one expected after struggling from 3 in San Antonio. He came to Boston as a career 34.4% 3-point shooter, but he’s shooting 38% as a Celtic. Beyond that, he’s putting up career-best shooting from 2 and from the free-throw line. He never touched 60% true shooting (a metric that includes 2-pointers, 3-pointers, and free throws) in San Antonio, but he’s done it in three full seasons as a Celtic. 

White has become the bellwether for Boston’s offense. White benefits most when the ball moves and the offense is running well. When it stagnates, he his shooting numbers will sound the alarm. 

He shot nearly 42% through the first 20 games of the season, a stretch where Boston was 16-4. In games 21-40, White shot 32.7%, and Boston went 12-8. Over the last 15 games, White shot 38.8%, and Boston went 11-4. 

There are obviously a few factors that go into why the Celtics and White struggled, but the point remains: When White is playing and shooting well, the Celtics are too. If White’s numbers are dipping, chances are so is the team’s winning percentage. 

It’s a symbiotic relationship. White needs Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Kristaps Porzingis to be at their best so he has the space to operate. At the same time, White operating in that space and dicing up opposing defenses helps Tatum, Brown, and Porzingis do what they do. 

Over three years, White has become as important to this team’s success as anyone. Without him, defenses could lean into blitzing Tatum and Brown and not worrying much about what happened next. With him, teams have to account for him or face the dire consequences of leaving him alone. He shoots with more confidence than ever and can take anyone off the dribble. He can hit floaters, glide in for a dunk, or make the right pass for an alley-oop or a corner 3. 

The Celtics are impossible to guard when they have it all working because losing track of White is almost certain basketball death. We never could have imagined him becoming this important three seasons ago, but now we can’t imagine him playing anywhere else. 

There have been other trades that will go down as bigger thefts in Celtics history, but by the time this Celtics run ends, we’ll probably have to include acquiring White in the team picture. It’s hard to imagine a trade for a player going any better.