Celtics Demanded ‘Mikal Bridges-Type’ Trade for Key Starter: Report

The Boston Celtics are still exploring more trades. But it would not involve Jaylen Brown  or Derrick White.

It would take a substantial offer for the Celtics to even consider trading White, the lesser player of the two, according to NBA insider Jake Fischer.

“Boston told at least one rival team that it would have insisted on a “Mikal Bridges-type” package to part with Derrick White, league sources say,” Fischer wrote on “The Stein Line” Substack newsletter on June 28. “The Celtics have certainly received no shortage of inbound trade calls on both White and Jaylen Brown in recent days, but nothing got serious on either front.”

The New York Knicks notoriously traded for Bridges last offseason for five first-round picks, four of which are unprotected, and a pick swap.

Raptors’ Underwhelming Offer for Derrick White

White, 30, averaged 16.4 points, 4.8 assists, 4.5 rebounds, 1.1 blocks and nearly a steal per game last season while shooting 38.4% from the 3-point line. He is expected to have a larger role in Boston next season with Tatum out.

White’s four-year, $126 million extension kicks in next season.

According to Zach Lowe of The Ringer, the Toronto Raptors sniffed around White and offered the No. 9 pick (which they used to select South Carolina forward Colin Murray-Boyles).

“There were reports that the Raptors offered the No. 9 pick for Derrick White,” Lowe said on his podcast “The Zach Lowe Show” on June 26. “I’m told that’s true, but that it happened a month and a half ago after Jayson Tatum got hurt, and Boston laughed at that offer and said, ‘We need way more than No. 9 for Derrick White.’”

Well, that was way, way short.

Celtics VP Shut Down Trade Rumors

Celtics vice president of basketball operations Mike Zarren shut down the trade rumors involving their top two players outside of Jayson Tatum, who will miss next season due to an Achilles injury.

“Those two guys are really, really great NBA players, and there hasn’t been anything close to serious about trading them,” Zarren told reporters after the second round of the 2025 NBA Draft. “I’m not sure where all this reporting came from, but those guys are key parts of our team, and we’re lucky to have them here.”

Brown, the NBA Finals MVP during the Celtics’ championship run in 2024, will have to carry a bigger load without his wing partner Tatum.

The 28-year-old Brown averaged 22.2 points, 5.8 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.2 steals this past season. He will enter the second year of his five-year, $304 million supermax deal.

Jaylen Brown on Spurs’ Radar

Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty ImagesBucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo and Celtics star Jaylen Brown on Spurs’ radar. 

Should the Celtics consider trading Brown, the San Antonio Spurs will be first in line.

The Spurs held on to their assets and did not participate in the Kevin Durant sweepstakes because of Brown and Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo, according to Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints.

“Other than a potential trade for Giannis in the future, the Spurs have also monitored Jaylen Brown’s status with the Boston Celtics through the years, sources said. Now that the Boston Celtics are primed to take a step back and are looking to cut costs, the 28-year-old Finals MVP is suddenly worth talking about,” Siegel wrote on June 17.