Looking at the Golden State Warriors’ first few months of the 2025-2026 NBA season, they clearly have a need for upgrades.
The championship-hopeful squad is 18-16, sitting eighth in the Western Conference. Fighting for a playoff spot in the NBA Play-In probably isn’t what they envisioned at the beginning of the year.
Some expect the Warriors to continue shooting for the stars one year after landing Jimmy Butler ahead of the 2025 trade deadline. The Giannis Antetokounmpo noise won’t leave the Golden State entirely until the deadline passes or the situation gets sorted.
While the Warriors are unlikely to go all in for a player of the Greek Freak’s caliber, they could take it down one notch and target someone like Derrick White, who has been a clear difference-maker on a recent title team.
Bleacher Report’s Dan Favale explained why White is a player the Warriors should target.
Derrick White Would be a Logical Candidate
“Derrick White would arm the Warriors with a world-class perimeter defender who can ferry some ball-handling responsibilities and won’t shrink the floor,” Favale explained. “Even if they’re worried about the back end of his deal, which runs through his age-34 season, he’s kitchen-sink material for any franchise operating on the Stephen Curry timeline.”
White is one of the better two-way guards in the NBA. Since linking with the Celtics, he has consistently been in the conversation of being a potential Defensive Player of the Year candidate, while remaining in the All-Defensive picture.
This season, White has averaged 18.3 points per game on the offensive end. While his efficiency is down (39 percent FG, 34 percent 3PT), White has made 44 percent of his shots from the field throughout his career and is a 36 percent shooter from deep, historically.
How Much Would White Cost?
White’s contract won’t come cheap. He signed a four-year deal with the Celtics, which began this season.
Overall, he’s getting paid $118 million if he remains under the deal throughout the four-year duration. This season, White is making $28.1 million.
From 2026 and on, White will see over $30 million in salary. He has a player option for the 2028-2029 NBA season, which is set at $34.8 million.
Why the Celtics Would Make It Difficult
These negotiations would be likely to come with a lot of resistance from Boston’s side.
For starters, the Celtics don’t seem to have any buyer’s remorse on White’s deal. They made the investment for a reason, and he hasn’t given them any reason to feel like they were wrong.
It turns out this might not be a gap year for the Celtics after all. Jayson Tatum, Kristaps Porzingis, and Jrue Holiday were important, but the ship continues to sail with two of them out of the picture entirely, while the other recovers from an Achilles injury.
If the Warriors are pushing back on Draymond Green and Jimmy Butler-centered deals, then that leaves Jonathan Kuminga as Golden State’s top trade chip.
Some Boston-based publications have mentioned the possibility of the Celtics looking at Kuminga, but that’s with Anfernee Simons in mind. When you get to Derrick White, the price goes up.
The bottom line is that the Celtics are much better with White playing alongside Jaylen Brown and Tatum. They don’t have a reason to part ways with him.
Sure, the Warriors could come to the table with a desirable offer if they take away some restrictions, but Golden State doesn’t seem too interested in forming a blockbuster beyond the expected Kuminga sweepstakes.
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