<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/boston-celtics/celtics-news-insider-predicts-unique-breakout-season-big-man');   ga('set', 'title', 'Insider predicts unique breakout season from Celtics’ big man');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Mar-6-2025-Boston-Massachusetts-USA-Boston-Celtics-center-Neemias-Queta-88-reacts.jpg"><figcaption>© David Butler II-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Insider predicts unique breakout season from Celtics’ big man</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-09-12T07:28:42-07:00">September 12th, 7:28am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-09-12T07:28:42-07:00">September 12th, 7:28am</time><address><a href="https://linktr.ee/colinloughran">Colin Loughran</a>Colin Loughran is a NYC-based Associate Editor at ClutchPoints. He has spent several years covering sports and has worked for outlets such as the New York Post, AP Radio, and FanSided. Colin is also a three-time NYSBA award winner and a proud graduate of Fordham University.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Boston Celtics</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/boston-celtics/celtics-news-why-derrick-white-enjoys-underdog-status">Boston Celtics will enter the upcoming season with several questions</a> regarding how they will initially fare while <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/boston-celtics/celtics-rumors-boston-insider-take-jayson-tatum-injury-status">Jayson Tatum recovers from an Achilles injury</a>. One insider <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6616998/2025/09/11/celtics-neemias-queta-roster-break-out/?source=user_shared_article" rel="noopener">recently predicted</a> that center Neemias Queta could experience a breakout season as Boston looks to remain competitive in a top-heavy Eastern Conference.</p><p>Jay King of The Athletic pointed to an increase in minutes and a highly successful EuroBasket run as reasons to believe that Queta may be on the cusp of a special campaign.</p><p>“After backing up Kristaps Porziņģis, Al Horford and Luke Kornet last season, Queta might be lined up to jump from fourth-string to starter. He should be the prime beneficiary of all of the Celtics’ frontcourt departures,” King wrote</p><p>“After a successful EuroBasket run — he averaged 15.5 points, 8.0 rebounds, 1.7 blocks and 1.0 steals per game while leading Portugal to the tournament’s knockout stage for the first time ever — Queta will have pressure to iron out the inconsistencies that have plagued him early in his career. Despite those, he has been productive inside and on the glass throughout four NBA seasons. With a full season of rotation minutes, don’t be surprised if he finishes near the top of the league leaderboard in offensive rebounding.”</p><p>King also pointed out that Queta could be an influential presence on defense next season.</p><p>“Queta’s increased presence should cause a statistical shift for the Celtics,” King wrote. “They finished 18th in offensive rebound rate last season, but have a chance to leap up the rankings with Queta and Luka Garza set to take on significant roles. When Queta was on the court last season, Boston had a 33-percent offensive rebound rate, which would have ranked in the top three leaguewide. He and Garza have been premier offensive rebounders throughout their careers, unlike two of the centers they will be replacing, Porziņģis and Horford. Those guys will be missed in plenty of other ways, just not on the offensive glass.”</p><p>Across 62 games last season, Quetta averaged 5.0 points, 3.8 rebounds, 0.7 assists, and 13.9 minutes per game. The 26-year-old will likely compete for minutes with former Minnesota Timberwolves center Luke Garza, and could receive the bulk of playing time due to his familiarity with head coach Joe Mazzulla and other returning individuals.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Insider predicts unique breakout season from Celtics’ big man

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/boston-celtics/why-derrick-white-hates-3-point-criticism-celtics');   ga('set', 'title', 'Why Derrick White ‘hates’ 3-point criticism surrounding Celtics');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Derrick-White.jpg"><figcaption>Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Why Derrick White ‘hates’ 3-point criticism surrounding Celtics</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-09-11T11:47:59-07:00">September 11th, 11:47am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-09-11T11:47:59-07:00">September 11th, 11:47am</time><address><a>Daniel Donabedian</a>Daniel Donabedian is a beat reporter for ClutchPoints covering the Boston Celtics. He's also covered Villanova men's basketball and Big East basketball, building a strong reputation in the northeast.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Boston Celtics</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Boston Celtics guard Derrick White is a pretty calm guy. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/boston-celtics/celtics-news-derrick-white-jokes-jayson-tatum-doesnt-respect-him">He’s never received a technical in his NBA career</a> and manages to torch teams while remaining mild-mannered. However, the annoyance in his tone was clear when he was asked about one of the most controversial things the Celtics do: shooting 3-pointers.</p><p>On the latest episode of White’s podcast, aptly named the “White Noise Podcast,” the talented two-way guard discussed the debate <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNvWD3UbyQU" rel="noopener">around Boston’s offensive tendencies</a>. And although White is generally relaxed, he couldn’t help but voice his displeasure with <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/boston-celtics/celtics-news-joe-mazzulla-shot-selection">those who criticize the Celtics’ 3-point volume</a>.</p><p>“I hate it,” he said with a laugh. “I do hate it when people are like, ‘You guys shoot too many threes.'”</p><p>Since Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla took over three years ago, Boston has attempted the most 3-pointers in the NBA. In fact, the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/boston-celtics/celtics-news-boston-make-nba-history-payton-pritchard-3">Celtics even broke the single-season 3-point record</a> in April.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">SINGLE-SEASON 3-POINT RECORD 🚨</p><p>Watch some of the <a href="https://twitter.com/celtics?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@celtics</a> toughest triples on way to 1,370 (and counting) 🔥☘️ <a href="https://t.co/SyIONgjCpx">pic.twitter.com/SyIONgjCpx</a></p><p>— NBA (@NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1908341949486051617?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 5, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>And while this style of play upsets some fans, who might view the Celtics as “shot chuckers,” White argues that they’re myopic in their thinking.</p><p>“Yeah, we do shoot a lot of threes,” White admitted. “The volume is record-setting and we’ve never seen it before, but we had a team where spacing was everything for us. And when we created space and we drove, we attacked, we were creating those two-on-ones, and we were getting looks that every team in the NBA would take, especially from the shooters that we had shooting the shots.”</p><p>Last season, every member of Boston’s starting five was a 3-point threat. Whether it was White or Celtics star Jayson Tatum, nobody could be left alone. Even off the bench, the C’s had <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/boston-celtics/celtics-news-payton-pritchard-sixth-man-year-win-helps-boston-make-history">reigning Sixth Man of the Year Payton Pritchard</a>, sharp-shooter Sam Hauser, and veteran big Al Horford who’s developed into a shooter late in his career.</p><p>Given this roster, it’s no surprise the Celtics attempted so many triples. It worked out for them too, as they tried the most 3-pointers during the 2023-24 regular season before dominating the 2024 NBA Finals and raising a championship banner.</p><p>“Sometimes, yeah, there are bad shots, but there’s bad shots at the hoop, too,” White argued. “Nobody seems to care about those. There’s bad shots at mid-range, there’s bad shots from post-ups, like, there’s bad shots everywhere. That’s basketball. But it’s not like every possession that we’re getting a bad three. Yeah, it might be contested, and you usually can debate about that. But I think when we’re playing our way, and we’re playing high-level, we’re just unselfish.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Here's every timely 3-pointer by Derrick White in this year's playoffs 👌</p><p>Right place, right time, always. Had three makes off of the jump-ball: <a href="https://t.co/jSCVqFdRyb">pic.twitter.com/jSCVqFdRyb</a></p><p>— Tomek Kordylewski (@Timi_093) <a href="https://twitter.com/Timi_093/status/1803123168678133960?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 18, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Heading into the 2025-26 season, the Celtics won’t have the same team that put up all those triples. Tatum is out indefinitely with an Achilles injury, former starters <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/boston-celtics/kristaps-porzingis-trade-grade-hawks-celtics-deal">Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday were traded</a>, and Horford is expected to leave in free agency.</p><p>Despite these significant changes, Boston’s shooting habits probably aren’t going away. Mazzulla, White, Pritchard, Hauser, and Celtics star Jaylen Brown are still around. Plus, the C’s <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/nba-stories/jrue-holiday-trade-grades-for-celtics-blazers-after-stunning-deal">brought in ex-Portland Trail Blazer Anfernee Simons via the Holiday trade</a>, and he’s a prolific 3-point shooter.</p><p>So, to the dismay of some, “Mazzulla Ball” should continue into the 2025-26 season. And no matter what the outside noise sounds like, White is still going to launch from beyond the arc when the opportunity presents itself.</p><p>“I think one of the worst things you could do in basketball is pass up an open look,” White asserted.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Why Derrick White ‘hates’ 3-point criticism surrounding Celtics

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/boston-celtics/celtics-news-jaylen-brown-gives-cryptic-take-on-playing-hometown-hawks');   ga('set', 'title', 'Celtics’ Jaylen Brown gives cryptic take on playing for hometown Hawks');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Jaylen-Brown.jpg"><figcaption>Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Celtics’ Jaylen Brown gives cryptic take on playing for hometown Hawks</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-09-11T07:39:48-07:00">September 11th, 7:39am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-09-11T07:39:48-07:00">September 11th, 7:39am</time><address><a>Malik Brown</a>Malik Brown is a multimedia reporter based in Atlanta who covers the Hawks and Dream for ClutchPoints. Malik has worked in entertainment and sports, and he specializes in the NBA and NFL.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Atlanta Hawks</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>In any sport, one of the best things to see from athletes is them going to play for their hometown. In the NBA, one of those moments is seeing <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-lakers/lakers-news-lebron-james-adds-fuel-nba-draft-lottery-rigging-conspiracy-theories">LeBron James get drafted to the Cleveland Cavaliers</a>, and then coming back later in his career to win them their first championship. Recently, Jaylen Brown was asked about <a href="https://www.hoopshype.com/story/sports/nba/rumors/2025/09/11/given-his-hometown-ties-to-georgia-radio-host-darian/86088531007/" rel="noopener">playing for his hometown team</a>, the Atlanta Hawks.</p><p>“I would love to see you play for the hometown,” radio personality Big Tigger said to Brown on V-103.</p><p>“I feel you. I think my grandma would too,” Brown said.</p><p>Brown noted that his grandmother had talked to him about potentially playing for the Hawks in the future.</p><p>“Yeah, but you never know. We’ll see,” Brown said.</p><p>It may be fun to see Brown play for the Hawks one day, but he is still in the middle of a big contract with the Boston Celtics, and it’s hard to see a team trading for a number that large. At the same time, he doesn’t have to particularly play for the Hawks while he’s in his prime, it could be when he’s set to get another contract.</p><p>Regardless, Brown is probably not worried about playing for any other team right now than the Celtics, and he’ll be the leader on the team this season with <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/boston-celtics/celtics-news-jayson-tatum-encouraging-update-tedious-achilles-injury-rehab">Jayson Tatum still recovering from his Achilles injury</a>.</p><h2><b>Jaylen Brown will have to lead Celtics this season</b></h2><p>After Tatum went down with the Achilles injury, the future of the Celtics was put in the spotlight, and they made some big moves throughout the offseason. The traded Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday, two key players that they had brought in to help them win the championship two seasons ago. Those moves were made for financial reasons and to avoid the second apron.</p><p>Now, with Tatum possibly out for the entire upcoming season, it will be up to Brown and Derrick White to lead the the Celtics. They were able to acquire Anfernee Simons in the Holiday trade, but it still seems like they’re open to moving him again. If he stays with the Celtics, Simons could be another key scorer for the team.</p><p>This won’t be the same dominant team that they’ve been for the past few years, and it will be interesting to see where they stack up in the Eastern Conference with what they currently have.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Celtics’ Jaylen Brown gives cryptic take on playing for hometown Hawks

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/brooklyn-nets/why-nets-have-more-moves-after-cam-thomas-signing');   ga('set', 'title', 'Why more Nets trades could be coming after Cam Thomas signing');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Sean-Marks_d5c407.jpg"><figcaption>Brad Penner-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Why more Nets trades could be coming after Cam Thomas signing</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-09-09T08:06:09-07:00">September 9th, 8:06am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-09-10T12:05:49-07:00">September 10th, 12:05pm</time><address><a>Erik Slater</a>Erik Slater is the credentialed Brooklyn Nets beat reporter for ClutchPoints. He's a graduate of Lehigh University and the Newhouse School of Communications at Syracuse University, as well as a Lehigh Football and Syracuse Football alum.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Boston Celtics</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>There has not been a busier NBA team this summer than the Brooklyn Nets. After making three offseason trades and an NBA-record five first-round picks in June’s draft, the rebuilding squad <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/brooklyn-nets/nets-news-cam-thomas-signing-6-million-qualifying-offer-stalemate">signed Cam Thomas to his one-year, $6 million qualifying offer</a> last week. The signing was the culmination of a failed contract negotiation with the 23-year-old guard.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/brooklyn-nets/why-cam-thomas-signing-6-million-qualifying-offer-marks-beginning-of-end-of-nets-tenure">Thomas’ decision to sign his qualifying offer likely signals</a> the beginning of the end of his Brooklyn tenure. It also leaves the Nets with significant cap space and more roster moves to make entering the 2025-26 campaign.</p><h2>Why Nets have more roster work to do before regular season after Cam Thomas signing</h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Sean-Marks1.jpg"><figcaption>Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>NBA teams are required to spend 90 percent of the salary cap while carrying 15 standard contracts at the start of the regular season. After re-signing Thomas, Day’Ron Sharpe and Ziaire Williams, Brooklyn is $649,000 below the salary floor with 18 players on standard contracts, four of whom are on non-guaranteed minimum salaries.</p><p>If the Nets waive their three lowest-paid players to get down to 15 standard contracts, they will be $6.9 million below the salary floor, meaning they’ll have to make a move to add salary before the season.</p><p>Brooklyn could sign a free agent or execute another salary dump trade to reach the salary floor. The team <a href="https://www.spotrac.com/nba/brooklyn-nets/cap/" rel="noopener">has roughly</a> $17 million in remaining cap space and can get to over $24 million by waiving its players on non-guaranteed contracts.</p><p>The Philadelphia 76ers have reportedly explored trades involving Andre Drummond and Kelly Oubre to open space to <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/philadelphia-76ers/46-million-contract-quentin-grimes-should-sign-76ers-end-holdout">sign restricted free agent Quentin Grimes</a>. Drummond is on a $5 million expiring contract, while Oubre is in the final year of his deal at $8.38 million. The Nets could absorb either player into their cap space or use the $8.8 million room exception to retain their space. In such a scenario, Philadelphia would attach draft capital or a young prospect as compensation.</p><p>While another Brooklyn deal could be coming to reach the salary floor, the team will likely preserve the majority of its cap space entering the regular season, as more teams could be looking to shed salary at the trade deadline.</p><p>The Boston Celtics are $4 million above the first apron and $12.1 million above the luxury tax. League sources expect them to try to duck below both before the deadline. Boston has reportedly explored trades involving Anfernee Simons, who is on a $26.7 million expiring contract, after acquiring him from the Portland Trail Blazers.</p><p>The Nets could be a trade partner down the line as the NBA’s only team with cap space.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Why more Nets trades could be coming after Cam Thomas signing

10 greatest Celtics in franchise history, ranked

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/boston-celtics/celtics-news-why-derrick-white-enjoys-underdog-status');   ga('set', 'title', 'Why Derrick White enjoys Celtics’ newfound underdog status');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Why-Derrick-White-enjoys-Bostons-newfound-underdog-status-.jpg"></figure><h1>Why Derrick White enjoys Celtics’ newfound underdog status</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-09-04T16:20:12-07:00">September 4th, 4:20pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-09-04T16:20:12-07:00">September 4th, 4:20pm</time><address><a>Daniel Donabedian</a>Daniel Donabedian is a beat reporter for ClutchPoints covering the Boston Celtics. He's also covered Villanova men's basketball and Big East basketball, building a strong reputation in the northeast.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Boston Celtics</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/boston-celtics/celtics-biggest-takeaways-2024-25-media-day">Boston Celtics are expected to compete for championships</a> year in and year out, and ever since guard Derrick White arrived in Beantown, they’ve accomplished that. Following <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/san-antonio-spurs/how-both-spurs-celtics-won-derrick-white-trade">White’s trade to Boston in 2022</a>, the Celtics have made two NBA Finals, won one championship, and extended their playoff appearance streak to 11 straight seasons.</p><p>Essentially, the C’s have never been underdogs while White’s been around, but that could very well change in October.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/boston-celtics/celtics-news-jayson-tatum-encouraging-update-tedious-achilles-injury-rehab">Celtics star Jayson Tatum may miss the entire 2025-26 season</a> after suffering a ruptured Achilles in May, and former starters Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis were traded away this summer. That eliminates 60% of Boston’s starting rotation from last year, leaving White and 2024 NBA Finals MVP Jaylen Brown as the last players standing.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">The Boston Celtics potential lineup next season:</p><p>PG: Derrick White<br>SG: Anfernee Simons<br>SF: Jaylen Brown<br>PF: Chris Boucher<br>C: Neemias Queta</p><p>Bench:<br>• Payton Pritchard<br>• Sam Hauser<br>• Luka Garza<br>• Baylor Scheierman<br>• Jordan Walsh</p><p>Can the Celtics be a Top 6 seed? 🤔☘️ <a href="https://t.co/jY48Fh2ndi">pic.twitter.com/jY48Fh2ndi</a></p><p>— NBA Retweet (@RTNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/RTNBA/status/1952850787815834058?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 5, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Starters aside, the C’s let backup center Luke Kornet walk in free agency and are <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/boston-celtics/celtics-rumors-al-horford-exit-all-but-confirmed">expected to lose veteran big man Al Horford</a> as well. Although Horford is still with the Green Team at the moment, it doesn’t sound like White is counting on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EuhnFJm8EqY" rel="noopener">seeing him in training camp,</a> via the “White Noise Podcast.”</p><p>“It’s definitely going to be different,” White replied when asked about the upcoming season. “I mean, it has to be. We lost KP, Jrue, Luke, and then obviously JT being out. So, you lose three out of five starters. Even like Al. It’s definitely going to change.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">On the latest episode of his podcast, Derrick White spoke on what the new season will bring. </p><p>He also seemed to operate under the assumption that Al Horford won’t be back for the Celtics:</p><p>“It’s definitely gonna be different. It has to be. We lost KP, Jrue, Luke…even, like Al.” <a href="https://t.co/jfsJ2Tz52r">pic.twitter.com/jfsJ2Tz52r</a></p><p>— Daniel Donabedian (@danield1214) <a href="https://twitter.com/danield1214/status/1963380552653783047?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 3, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Given all these alterations to the Celtics’ once star-studded roster, it’s no surprise that the NBA world is adjusting their view of the 2024 NBA champions. For instance, FanDuel Sportsbook believes the C’s probably <a href="https://sportsbook.fanduel.com/navigation/nba?tab=regular-season-wins" rel="noopener">won’t win more than 45 regular season games</a>, setting their odds to surpass that total at +154.</p><p>And according to ESPN’s <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/futures/_/group/division" rel="noopener">betting projections</a>, the Celtics aren’t even expected to win their division (+750 odds), let alone an NBA championship (+5000 odds).</p><p>Boston isn’t used to this underdog status, yet White is more familiar. In fact, he enjoys the doubt.</p><p>“First time, since I’ve been in Boston, that people don’t believe in us,” he stated. “So, it’s kind of a fun spot for me to be in. It’s kind of where I’ve always done my best, actually.”</p><p>When White was playing D-II basketball with the UCCS Mountain Lions in college, there were probably a lot of people who didn’t think he would make it to the NBA. Flash-forward a decade and the 31-year-old is now an NBA champion, an Olympic gold medalist, and a key part of one of the most renowned sports franchises in the world.</p><p>The 2025-26 season will be an uphill battle for Boston, as it needs to <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/boston-celtics/celtics-rumors-payton-pritchard-set-lineup-change-6moy-jrue-holiday-trade">implement a new starting lineup</a> and adapt to life without Tatum. Yet, White refuses to let these roadblocks damper his mood heading into his ninth year in the league.</p><p>“We got a bunch of competitors,” White said of the Celtics. “I’m just trying to win as many games as possible, and I’m really excited. We got a lot of talent. We got a great coaching staff. So, it’s going to be a fun year.”</p><p>Perhaps the Celtics will have more fun during the 2026-27 season, when Tatum could return to play and the rest of the C’s are (ideally) more accustomed to their roles. But before that happens, White and company must embrace the Celtics’ newfound underdog label and try to prove the ones who gave it to them wrong.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Why Derrick White enjoys Celtics’ newfound underdog status

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/boston-celtics/celtics-news-derrick-white-names-his-least-favorite-nba-city');   ga('set', 'title', 'Celtics’ Derrick White names his least favorite NBA city');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Celtics-guard-Derrick-White-9-dribbles-vs.-Grizzlies-Ja-Morant.jpg"><figcaption>© Petre Thomas-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Celtics’ Derrick White names his least favorite NBA city</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-09-03T20:38:54-07:00">September 3rd, 8:38pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-09-03T20:38:54-07:00">September 3rd, 8:38pm</time><address><a href="https://letterboxd.com/splooshpuhrty/films/by/your-rating/">Jedd Pagaduan</a>Jedd Pagaduan is a certified Clippers and Gunners fan, which means he's a very sports-traumatized individual. He now writes about sports instead as a form of therapy.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Boston Celtics</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>One would realize just how fast time flies when Derrick White, the 29th overall pick of the 2017 NBA Draft, is now an elder statesman in the NBA. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/boston-celtics/celtics-news-derrick-whites-refreshingly-honest-take-2k-rating">White has become accomplished</a> in the league, being one of the best 3-and-D guards in the entire association, and he’s an NBA champion with the Boston Celtics and an Olympic gold medalist as well for Team USA. Suffice to say, he is one of the most well-respected and esteemed players in the league despite how underrated he tends to be.</p><p>But White would attest to the fact that not all parts of being an NBA player is good. In fact, the Celtics guard revealed the NBA city <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1963374716137476557" rel="noopener">he dreads playing in</a> due to how horrid he finds the facilities there to be.</p><p>“Memphis, probably, [is my least favorite NBA city]. I mean the hotel is probably the worst in the NBA. The food there is good, though,” White said in his podcast, “White Noise”.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">"What's your least favorite city [to play in]?"</p><p>Derrick White: "Memphis… I mean, the hotel is probably the worst hotel in the NBA."</p><p>(via <a href="https://twitter.com/kicks?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@kicks</a>)<a href="https://t.co/HX8GxFzxPG">pic.twitter.com/HX8GxFzxPG</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1963374716137476557?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 3, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>The Celtics guard also shared that he doesn’t find the hotel in the city where an Eastern Conference rival resides in to be that enjoyable to stay at.</p><p>“Indiana’s got a hotel I don’t like that much. And we spend a lot of time in Indiana. It’s not a good hotel,” White added.</p><p>These NBA players are multi-millionaires who are accustomed to living lavish lifestyles, so it’s not quite clear what passes for a good hotel experience for White. But this only means one thing: the Celtics guard is imploring those in the hotel business in Memphis and Indianapolis to up their games.</p><h2>Derrick White to take on larger role for Celtics next season</h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Celtics-Derrick-White-Payton-Pritchard.jpg"><figcaption>Winslow Townson-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/boston-celtics/celtics-news-derrick-white-affirms-love-boston">Celtics underwent a complete makeover</a> during the offseason; they traded away two key pieces of their 2024 championship team in Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis, and Al Horford will be leaving as well. And then to make matters worse, Jayson Tatum will presumably be spending the entirety of the 2025-26 season on the sidelines as he recovers from a torn Achilles.</p><p>Thus, White will have quite the opportunity to break out even further in a larger role. He won’t be alone in this regard, however. Payton Pritchard could average 20 points per game with Tatum out, and Anfernee Simons will be tasked to lead the offense as well.</p><p>Whether that results in a productive season for the Celtics remains to be seen, however, especially when their frontcourt situation is looking dire.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Celtics’ Derrick White names his least favorite NBA city

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/boston-celtics/celtics-news-derrick-white-affirms-love-boston');   ga('set', 'title', 'Celtics news: Derrick White affirms ‘love’ for Boston');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Derrick-White-affirms-love-for-Boston.jpg"></figure><h1>Celtics news: Derrick White affirms ‘love’ for Boston</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-09-02T09:22:16-07:00">September 2nd, 9:22am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-09-02T10:19:21-07:00">September 2nd, 10:19am</time><address><a>Daniel Donabedian</a>Daniel Donabedian is a beat reporter for ClutchPoints covering the Boston Celtics. He's also covered Villanova men's basketball and Big East basketball, building a strong reputation in the northeast.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Boston Celtics</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Boston Celtics experienced a lot of change this summer, with trades, free agent departures, and <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/boston-celtics/celtics-news-boston-officially-announces-completion-6-1-billion-sale">new ownership</a> significantly altering the franchise. But through all the offseason shakeup, Celtics guard Derrick White has remained, and so has his love for Boston.</p><p>The former San Antonio Spur wasn’t totally prepared to come to Beantown when he was moved at the trade deadline in 2022, yet he has since called the sports-crazed city his home. White <i>literally</i> put his money where his mouth is too, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/boston-celtics/celtics-news-derrick-white-125-9-million-contract-extension-after-championship">agreeing to a four-year, $125.9 million extension with the Celtics</a> early in the 2024 offseason.</p><p>While negotiating contracts can often be contentious in today’s NBA, White said <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BAwaDzasBk4&amp;t=265s" rel="noopener">the process behind his sizable extension was straightforward</a>, via the “White Noise Podcast.”</p><p>“[It] was much, much more relaxed,” he described. “I didn’t want to play nowhere else. Like, I wanted to be in Boston. I said that—I’ve always said that. And so it was pretty simple.”</p><p>It’s easy to see why White has loved playing for the C’s. Since donning the green and white, he’s appeared in two NBA Finals, won an NBA title, and even taken home an Olympic gold medal.</p><p>“I was super excited just to stay in Boston, to continue to be a Celtic, hopefully do great things in Boston,” he said. “More years in Boston: this is what I want; this is what my family wants. So Boston has been good. My kids were born in Boston. I kind of developed as a player in Boston, and that’s really what it was about, ‘Where do I want to be? What’s going to make me happy?’ And I knew that was going to be in Boston…I love it in Boston.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Derrick White said signing an extension with the Celtics was a no-brainer:</p><p>“Boston has been good. My kids were born in Boston, I kind of developed as a player in Boston…it’s like what's going to make me happy? And I knew that was going to be in Boston. I love it in Boston.” <a href="https://t.co/9ZPpbJAUQU">pic.twitter.com/9ZPpbJAUQU</a></p><p>— Daniel Donabedian (@danield1214) <a href="https://twitter.com/danield1214/status/1962889923372957956?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 2, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><h2><b>Derrick White’s development with Celtics</b></h2><p>White truly has developed in Boston, going from an average 3-point shooter to a real threat from beyond the arc. Just last season, the former first-round pick averaged a career-high 16.4 points per game while shooting over 38% from deep. He then averaged a playoff career-high of 18.8 points per outing, becoming the Green Team’s third-leading scorer during that 11-game run.</p><p>In less than two months, the Celtics needed White to be Boston’s second-leading scorer as <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/boston-celtics/celtics-news-jayson-tatum-encouraging-update-tedious-achilles-injury-rehab">Celtics star Jayson Tatum is out indefinitely as he rehabs</a> from a ruptured Achilles. 2024 NBA Finals MVP Jaylen Brown should take over as the primary offensive option, yet he’ll need some help during a lengthy regular season in which the Celtics will likely struggle.</p><p>Despite winning more than 60 games in each of the last two seasons, Vegas generally thinks the C’s <a href="https://sports.betmgm.com/en/blog/nba/nba-odds-predictions-season-win-totals-bm23/" rel="noopener">won’t even surpass 50 wins</a> during the 2025-26 campaign. They don’t have a solidified starting five and are missing multiple key players from last year, including two-time NBA champion Jrue Holiday and 7-footer Kristaps Porzingis.</p><p>The Celtics will have White though, and <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/boston-celtics/brad-stevens-reveals-celtics-foundation-amid-jaylen-brown-derrick-white-trade-rumors">they can count on him</a> for at least the foreseeable future.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Celtics news: Derrick White affirms ‘love’ for Boston

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/boston-celtics/celtics-news-jaylen-brown-clamped-principal-then-dunks-him');   ga('set', 'title', 'Celtics’ Jaylen Brown gets clamped by principal, then dunks on him');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Celtics-All-Star-Jaylen-Brown_4a1ad4.jpg"><figcaption>Brad Penner-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Celtics’ Jaylen Brown gets clamped by principal, then dunks on him</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-08-31T12:58:41-07:00">August 31st, 12:58pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-08-31T12:58:41-07:00">August 31st, 12:58pm</time><address><a>Josue Pavon</a>Josue Pavon is an Associate Editor and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat writer for ClutchPoints. He started his career as a credentialed media member writing about the Boston Celtics for WEEI.com in Boston, where he grew into a local on-camera NBA reporter and podcast host for CLNS Media. Alongside the Celtics radio broadcaster and two-time NBA champion Cedric Maxwell, Josue is the co-host of the Cedric Maxwell podcast.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Boston Celtics</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Boston Celtics All-Star Jaylen Brown and a local assistant principal’s 1-on-1 went viral for what transpired between the two. While the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/boston-celtics/celtics-rumors-what-boston-is-seeking-in-anfernee-simons-trade">Celtics are reportedly not done making offseason moves</a> amidst the end of a busy summer, Wheeler High School students cheered when their assistant principal, Barry Bowdre Jr. stole the ball from the 2024 Finals MVP. However, Brown quickly returned the favor after regaining possession.</p><p>Brown dunked on Bowdre Jr., who’s also the Athletic Director at Wheeler High, which <a href="https://twitter.com/CoachBowdre/status/1961202956872622153" rel="noopener">received a louder ovation</a> by students in attendance, per Bowdre Jr.’s X, formerly Twitter.</p><p>“From playing a lil defense defense to getting dunked on….life comes atcha fast,” Bowdre Jr. said.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">From playing a lil defense defense to getting dunked on….life comes atcha fast 😭😭😭 <a href="https://twitter.com/FCHWPO?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FCHWPO</a> <a href="https://t.co/VX1oNS12hW">pic.twitter.com/VX1oNS12hW</a></p><p>— Barry Bowdre Jr. 🇦🇸 (@CoachBowdre) <a href="https://twitter.com/CoachBowdre/status/1961202956872622153?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 28, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Upon review, Brown’s first step past Bowdre Jr. created more than enough space that the high school’s athletic director was never going to make up but he tried anyway, and it led to him ending up on a poster. Still, stealing the ball from an NBA All-Star is something to brag about, even though, no one will forget what happened shortly afterwards.</p><h2><b>Exec makes Celtics playoff guarantee amid Jayson Tatum injury</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Celtics-All-Star-Jaylen-Brown-Celtics-Jayson-Tatum.jpg"><figcaption>David Butler II-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Celtics All-Star Jayson Tatum’s ruptured Achilles injury in last year’s Eastern Conference semifinals series against the New York Knicks set dominos in motion for drastic changes to the 2024 championship squad. The front office deemed a Tatum-less Celtics unworthy of staying in the second apron and the tax penalties that come with it, thus Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis were both traded while veteran Al Horford is expected to sign with a new team.</p><p>Still, an anonymous <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/boston-celtics/celtics-news-exec-makes-playoff-guarantee-jayson-tatum-second-apron">front office executive says Celtics can still compete</a> with All-Star Jaylen Brown leading the ship. While the implications of the dreaded second apron forced the team to sell key players who helped bring home a title, the Celtics executive is confident <a href="https://www.spotrac.com/news/_/id/2912/eastern-conference-summer-league-notes" rel="noopener">his team will remain competitive</a> in 2025-26, he said, per Spotrac’s Keith Smith.</p><p>“We’ll be good,” the executive stated. “We’ll be a playoff team, but…you know. [The second apron] will come for every team that lands where we did. You can’t be over the second apron and not a title contender. It’s just poor management for both the short- and long-term. The frozen pick and pick dropping stuff is real.”</p><p>After undergoing right knee surgery, Brown will be available for training camp.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Celtics’ Jaylen Brown gets clamped by principal, then dunks on him

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/boston-celtics/celtics-news-derrick-whites-refreshingly-honest-take-2k-rating');   ga('set', 'title', 'Celtics guard Derrick White’s refreshingly honest take on 2k rating');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/White-vs-the-Knicks.jpg"><figcaption>Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Celtics guard Derrick White’s refreshingly honest take on 2k rating</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-08-28T10:40:17-07:00">August 28th, 10:40am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-08-28T10:40:17-07:00">August 28th, 10:40am</time><address><a>Jackson Stone</a>Jackson Stone is a Mercer University alum from Atlanta who graduated with a BA in communications. A lifelong sports lover, Jackson is a die-hard fan of all Atlanta teams. He joined ClutchPoints in 2023.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Boston Celtics</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Boston Celtics have had quite an offseason, unloading both Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday via trade and bracing for a year in which <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/boston-celtics/celtics-rumors-boston-insider-take-jayson-tatum-injury-status">Jayson Tatum will be sidelined</a> due to a torn Achilles. This season, a lot of the pressure will fall on the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/boston-celtics/celtics-news-jaylen-brown-reacts-jayson-tatum-crazy-new-look">shoulders of Jaylen Brown</a> and Derrick White, two ultra-talented wings who helped Boston win a championship in 2024 but won’t have a lot of help this year.</p><p>Recently, NBA 2k’s ratings for the upcoming season came out, and White was revealed to be an 87 overall.</p><p>Instead of airing his grievances to Ronnie 2k, as many players choose to do, White instead took to his own White Noise podcast <a href="https://x.com/kicks/status/1961099425193001055" rel="noopener">to break down</a> why he is perfectly content with his rating.</p><p>“Everybody’s always upset about their 2K rating… I’ll be the one that’s not upset about it,” said White, via Kicks on X, formerly Twitter.</p><p>87 overall would seem to be quite fair for White, who is one of the elite role players in the NBA, capable of knocking down three pointers with great accuracy while providing elite defense on the other end of the floor. White has also improved his ability to make plays off the dribble during his time with the Celtics.</p><p>However, for the first time in his career this year, White will see the opposing team’s best or second best defender, which will be a good test for how much of his excellence with the Celtics has been to his elite teammates.</p><h2><b>A transitional year for the Celtics</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Derrick-White-Celtics.jpg"><figcaption>David Butler II-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>While White and Brown remain two of the best wings in the NBA, Boston doesn’t have a ton of talent elsewhere on their roster this year with Tatum out and Holiday and Porzingis traded.</p><p>The Celtics’ frontcourt could be a disaster given the options currently at head coach Joe Mazzulla’s disposal, and it remains to be seen how Payton Pritchard and Anfernee Simons, two microwave scorers who don’t provide a ton in the way of defense, will be utilized this season.</p><p>In all likelihood, Boston’s focus will be positioning themselves to be able to hit the ground running once Tatum returns in 2026-27.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Celtics guard Derrick White’s refreshingly honest take on 2k rating

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/boston-celtics/celtics-main-reason-not-trading-anfernee-simons');   ga('set', 'title', 'Celtics’ main reason for not trading Anfernee Simons right now');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Celtics-main-reason-for-not-trading-Anfernee-Simons-right-now-1.jpg"></figure><h1>Celtics’ main reason for not trading Anfernee Simons right now</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-08-27T13:46:40-07:00">August 27th, 1:46pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-08-27T13:46:40-07:00">August 27th, 1:46pm</time><address><a>Brett Siegel</a>Brett Siegel joined ClutchPoints as a credentialed NBA insider and reporter in May 2023 after previously covering the NBA for Fastbreak on FanNation and NBA Analysis Network, as well as working with Louisville Basketball. From playing to coaching to covering the game as a media member, Brett has been involved with the game of basketball from many different perspectives. Breaking the news of various free agent signings, yearly NBA Draft news and other key stories around the league, Brett is always on the phone, getting the latest news and rumors around the NBA. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @BrettSiegelNBA.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Boston Celtics</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Boston Celtics have endured a busy offseason, trading the likes of Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday after recently winning the 2024 NBA Finals. One of the players Brad Stevens added to his roster by trading away the two former All-Stars was Anfernee Simons, but now there are questions about whether he will begin the 2025-26 season with Boston.</p><p>The word that best describes this offseason for the Celtics is “<i>change.”</i></p><p>Aside from their massive roster changes and overhaul around Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Derrick White, the C’s saw long-time owner <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/boston-celtics/celtics-news-boston-officially-announces-completion-6-1-billion-sale">Wyc Grousbeck officially hand over duties to new owner Bill Chisholm</a>.</p><p>Since Tatum is expected to <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/boston-celtics/celtics-rumors-boston-insider-take-jayson-tatum-injury-status">miss a vast majority of the 2025-26 season</a> <i>(if not all)</i> rehabbing his Achilles injury, it was in Stevens’ and the organization’s best interest to cut their massive tax bill and move out of the tax aprons.</p><p>That is why Porzingis and Holiday were traded, as well as Georges Niang, whom the team acquired in their three-team Porzingis trade with the Atlanta Hawks.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/nba-stories/sources-implications-celtics-blazers-trade-jrue-holiday-anfernee-simons">Simons was acquired by the Celtics</a> in their trade with the Portland Trail Blazers, and he is a young combo guard who can immediately make a difference as another perimeter shooter for head coach Joe Mazzulla to experiment with.</p><p>However, Simons’ name has surfaced in trade rumors this offseason since the Celtics added him in June.</p><p>The Celtics are still about <a href="https://www.capsheets.com/boston-celtics-cap-sheet/" rel="noopener">$4 million above the first apron</a> and $12 million into the luxury tax, which is why moving Simons and bringing back fewer salaries could be beneficial to the team’s cost-saving plan this offseason. Then again, Simons is still only 26 years old and on a $27.6 million expiring contract.</p><p>While Simons’ name continues to come up in rumors around the league, there are reasons for the Celtics to wait on this decision before the 2025-26 season.</p><h2><b>The value Anfernee Simons can present to Celtics</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Anfernee-Simons-vs.-Celtics.jpg"><figcaption>Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Over the last handful of seasons, the Celtics have been right at the top of the Eastern Conference as legitimate title contenders. That won’t be the case during the 2025-26 season, as Stevens and the front office are basically hitting the reset button and conducting early evaluations as to what the roster will look like for the 2026-27 season.</p><p>Even though the Celtics will remain competitive and are not entirely tanking this upcoming year, it’s clear that they are no longer a part of the upper echelon of teams in the championship mix without Tatum.</p><p>As a result, players like Payton Pritchard, Sam Hauser, and Anfernee Simons all have a great opportunity to prove their worth in elevated roles.</p><p>In Simons’ case, he joined Boston after spending the first seven years of his career in Portland. Last season, he averaged 19.3 points and 4.8 assists per game while shooting 36.3 percent from 3-point range and making 215 triples in 70 games.</p><p>If he were on the Celtics’ roster, Simons would’ve ranked fourth in total threes behind White, Tatum, and Pritchard.</p><p>Mazzulla has put a point of emphasis on his team shooting more perimeter shots over the last two years, which is why Simons is the ideal player for the Celtics to take a chance on. After all, the worst thing that happens is that things don’t work out, and he becomes a free agent in 2026.</p><p>The Celtics made this trade involving Holiday for Simons with the mindset of creating options for themselves, and as a result, they can continue to gauge potential interest in the young guard now through the trade deadline in February.</p><p>Over the last several weeks, the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/nba-stories/jonathan-kuminga-josh-giddey-intel-entering-september-siegels-scoop">Celtics have continued to put out feelers</a> to teams that have shown past interest in the young guard to get a sense of what his market currently looks like and could shape up to be before the trade deadline in February, sources said.</p><p>Although it doesn’t appear as if a trade is on the horizon before training camp, this has not stopped Boston from exploring potential paths to a deal involving Simons.</p><p>Other than remaining competitive and finding ways to continue cutting costs, the Celtics’ other main goal is to maintain financial flexibility. If they were to make a trade, Boston wouldn’t want any long-term salary, which is another reason why holding onto Simons to begin the season makes the most sense.</p><p>However, the Celtics’ main reason for not trading Simons right now is the fact that he could end up being a diamond in the rough for them.</p><p>In Portland, Simons was tasked at a young age with being the team’s main offensive weapon, and he, for the most part, succeeded in this role. Now that he is the third- or fourth-best scoring option in Boston, Simons could unlock a whole new path in his career, one where he becomes one of the leaders in three-point shooting across the league.</p><p>Since he is on an expiring deal, the Celtics have no need to rush into a trade unless they are receiving unthinkable value. More teams will express interest in Simons as the season goes on and players end up getting hurt, which is why his value will only increase before the trade deadline.</p><p>This is especially true if he finds a lot of success as an efficient three-point shooter in Mazzulla’s offensive plans.</p><p>Looking ahead past the trade deadline, perhaps there is even a path to the Celtics holding onto Simons and seeking to sign him to a smaller contract next offseason to get back to their championship ways.</p><p>Simons is just now reaching the prime years of his career, and the Celtics have a chance to get a really strong look at him before he hits unrestricted free agency.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Celtics’ main reason for not trading Anfernee Simons right now

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/boston-celtics/eurobasket-news-why-celtics-fans-going-wild-over-portugal-opening-win');   ga('set', 'title', 'Why Celtics fans are going wild over Portugal’s opening EuroBasket win');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Neemias-Queta_040a97.jpg"><figcaption>Mike Watters-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Why Celtics fans are going wild over Portugal’s opening EuroBasket win</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-08-27T10:53:33-07:00">August 27th, 10:53am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-08-27T10:53:33-07:00">August 27th, 10:53am</time><address><a>Daniel Donabedian</a>Daniel Donabedian is a beat reporter for ClutchPoints covering the Boston Celtics. He's also covered Villanova men's basketball and Big East basketball, building a strong reputation in the northeast.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Boston Celtics</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Boston Celtics haven’t had a relaxing offseason. After watching star <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/boston-celtics/celtics-news-jayson-tatum-encouraging-update-tedious-achilles-injury-rehab">Jayson Tatum rupture his Achilles</a> in May, Boston’s front office was forced to retool the roster <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/boston-celtics/celtics-news-exec-makes-playoff-guarantee-jayson-tatum-second-apron">to avoid severe financial penalties</a>. That summer shakeup involved trading multiple starters away and losing fan favorites in free agency, much to the chagrin of the Boston faithful. However, the start of EuroBasket could offer Celtics fans a <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1960698678399688991" rel="noopener">brief reprieve from their summertime sadness</a>.</p><p>On Wednesday in Riga, Latvia, Celtics center Neemias Queta put on a show for Portugal during his EuroBasket debut. The Lisbon native torched the Czech Republic in the Group A opener, dropping a game-high 23 points in 30 minutes while missing just four of his 15 shots from the field. No other player on either side even surpassed 15 points during Portugal’s 62-50 win.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Neemias Queta of the Celtics was DOMINANT in his EuroBasket debut:</p><p>🇵🇹 23 points<br>🇵🇹 18 rebounds<br>🇵🇹 4 blocks<br>🇵🇹 2 steals<br>🇵🇹 11-of-15 FG</p><p>He leads Portugal to an opening day win over Czech Republic. <a href="https://t.co/b7HmQbFQp9">pic.twitter.com/b7HmQbFQp9</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1960698678399688991?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 27, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Queta also dominated the boards, grabbing a game-high 18 rebounds — 11 more than Portugal’s second-leading rebounder, Miguel Queiroz. On the defensive end, the 7-footer effectively protected the paint and notched a game-high four blocks.</p><p>In an international showdown that featured some NBA talent, including Atlanta Hawks sharp-shooter Vit Krejci, Queta was undoubtedly the best player on the floor. That’s good news for the Celtics, as Queta should have a significant role next season.</p><p>In fact, the 26-year-old could even start. Former starting <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/boston-celtics/kristaps-porzingis-trade-grade-hawks-celtics-deal">Celtics center Kristaps Porzingis was dealt to the Hawks</a> and backup big man Luke Kornet signed a lucrative deal with the San Antonio Spurs. Veteran center Al Horford is still on the roster, yet he’s expected to depart Boston in the coming weeks <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/golden-state-warriors/warriors-rumors-how-stephen-curry-al-horford-son-impact-free-agency-decision">to join the Golden State Warriors</a>.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/boston-celtics/celtics-news-naz-reid-impact-celtics-luka-garza-2025-26">First-year Celtic Luka Garza</a> is arguably the only other center who can challenge Queta for a spot in the starting rotation. But Queta, who arrived in Beantown in September of 2023, has the advantage of being more familiar with the Celtics’ system.</p><p>If the former G League standout can continue to play like he did against the Czech Republic, the Celtics’ most glaring positional weakness will be less visible. Queta won’t score in double figures every night, but as long as he can provide Boston with about 20 to 25 minutes of solid rim protection and rebounding, he’ll have done his job.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">A dominant outing for Neemias Queta today in Portugal’s EuroBasket win 🇵🇹</p><p>He looked healthy and was the best player on the court (and much better than fellow NBAer Vit Krejci)</p><p>– 23 points (game-high)<br>– 18 rebounds (game-high)<br>– 73% FG (11-15)<br> <a href="https://t.co/LL3IQcSdVk">pic.twitter.com/LL3IQcSdVk</a></p><p>— Daniel Donabedian (@danield1214) <a href="https://twitter.com/danield1214/status/1960699142415478809?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 27, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Before the Celtics ask Queta to step up in October, the first Portuguese player ever drafted to the NBA must finish leading his home country in EuroBasket.</p><p>Portugal is in one of the toughest groups of the tournament, and it’ll be put to the test during its next outing with Serbia on Friday. How Queta fares while guarding three-time MVP Nikola Jokic should reveal how much progress he’s truly made this offseason.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Boston
Celtics NEWS

Celtics News: Get the latest Boston Celtics news, scores, stats, standings, fantasy games, and more from ClutchPoints.

Latest Celtics News

Insider predicts unique breakout season from Celtics’ big man

Why Derrick White ‘hates’ 3-point criticism surrounding Celtics

Celtics’ Jaylen Brown gives cryptic take on playing for hometown Hawks

Why more Nets trades could be coming after Cam Thomas signing

10 greatest Celtics in franchise history, ranked

Why Derrick White enjoys Celtics’ newfound underdog status

Celtics’ Derrick White names his least favorite NBA city

• Celtics news: Derrick White affirms ‘love’ for Boston

• Celtics’ Jaylen Brown gets clamped by principal, then dunks on him

• Celtics guard Derrick White’s refreshingly honest take on 2k rating

• Celtics’ main reason for not trading Anfernee Simons right now

• Why Celtics fans are going wild over Portugal’s opening EuroBasket win

BostonCeltics NEWS

Celtics News: Get the latest Boston Celtics news, scores, stats, standings, fantasy games, and more from ClutchPoints.

Latest Celtics News

Insider predicts unique breakout season from Celtics’ big man

Why Derrick White ‘hates’ 3-point criticism surrounding Celtics

Celtics’ Jaylen Brown gives cryptic take on playing for hometown Hawks

Why more Nets trades could be coming after Cam Thomas signing

10 greatest Celtics in franchise history, ranked

Why Derrick White enjoys Celtics’ newfound underdog status

Celtics’ Derrick White names his least favorite NBA city

• Celtics news: Derrick White affirms ‘love’ for Boston

• Celtics’ Jaylen Brown gets clamped by principal, then dunks on him

• Celtics guard Derrick White’s refreshingly honest take on 2k rating

• Celtics’ main reason for not trading Anfernee Simons right now

• Why Celtics fans are going wild over Portugal’s opening EuroBasket win

Boston
Celtics NEWS