Revisiting 5 recent terrible trades ahead of the deadline

The Derrick White Trade

This is a low-key bad trade that seemed ill-advised on the Celtics’ part when they did it. At last year’s trade deadline, the Celtics sent Romeo Langford, Josh Richardson, their 2022 first-round pick, and a 2028 pick swap to the Spurs for Derrick White. That surprisingly large haul came as White was having a disappointing season and was in the first year of a contract that will pay him $17.5 million a year, on average.

White has played better in Boston, but not well enough to justify giving up Richardson, who’s a better shooter and much cheaper. Richardson has also been a better fit for the Spurs, and his ability to play effectively off-ball has allowed them to experiment with having other players create.

Once White was traded, former Spur Dejounte Murray exploded, averaging 25 points and 9.3 assists as the primary playmaker. That increased his value and led to the Spurs later trading him for a big haul (more on that later). In addition, White’s former backup Devin Vassell quickly established himself as a starter.

This season, Richardson has played well enough to potentially net the Spurs a first-round pick, and Romeo Langford has actually looked like an NBA player. Meanwhile, Vassell has emerged as the best player on the Spurs. Factor in that the Spurs used the Celtics’ pick to select promising wing Malaki Branham and that the Spurs own swap rights on a distant pick, and the Celtics clearly gave up too much for White, who is merely a solid player.