Jason Burgos
A new rumor opens the door to the Boston Celtics pivoting away from a Giannis Antetokounmpo trade and instead landing three-time All-Star Julius Randle.
It wasn’t that long ago that NBA pundits were proclaiming that the Celtics were the team to beat in the Eastern Conference playoffs. They had one of the best records in the East all season. Jaylen Brown was playing like an MVP candidate. And Jayson Tatum was looking like the all-world player he was before suffering a ruptured Achilles last spring.
In the opening round of the playoffs versus the Philadelphia 76ers, they even had a 3-1 series lead. Then it all fell apart, and they were on the wrong end of one of the biggest postseason collapses in franchise history. It has led to a ton of rumors and speculation about bold changes this offseason. The most notable is a blockbuster trade that would see Boston acquire the Milwaukee Bucks icon and ship out Brown.
However, recent reports now point to a deal being unlikely. So what could Boston do instead to bolster the roster to better compete with the champion New York Knicks next season? On Friday, a new report from The Athletic’s Sam Amick claimed that the Minnesota Timberwolves have “strong interest” in acquiring Celtics veteran Derrick White since their own pursuits of Antetokounmpo have seemingly failed as well.
Should the Boston Celtics target Julius Randle for Derrick White swap?
Moving White would certainly hurt Boston because he has become such a valuable part of the team. However, a potential trade could also help the Celtics because they need to make big improvements in the front court. Minnesota has a glut of options up front, and there is a belief around the league that they would like to move Randle this summer. A straight-up swap of Randle for White works perfectly financially. And if the Timberwolves are willing to throw in a future second-round pick, then great.
While Randle has flaws in his game, he is still a three-time All-Star who is a talented scorer. He is a very good ball handler for a big man, and he has been one of the better rebounders in the league throughout his career. His specific skill set would definitely interest head coach Joe Mazzulla, especially because he is a big man who can stretch the floor as Al Horford and Kristaps Porzingis did for him in previous seasons.
Randle has shot 33% from behind the arc for his career. The 31-year-old, being the third option behind Tatum and Brown, would be a perfect role for him at this point in his career.
