Derek White: Popovich told me that the Spurs won t cheat me, they sent me to the Celtics

Boston Celtics backcourt Derrick White recently appeared on a show, during which he also recalled the scene when he was traded to the Celtics by his old club San Antonio Spurs a few years ago.

White said: It is really crazy to be traded by the team. I remember we were in Atlanta and head coach Gregg Popovich walked into my room and said to me, hey, man, we're going to trade you out. Then he stopped talking. So I asked him, where would I go to play basketball next? He told me again, don't worry, we won't cheat you, we sent you to Boston. My thoughts at the time were, oh well, it was a cool decision. I felt like I could fit anywhere, but I still had that kind of question about how I should do next when I heard that news.

In the NBA regular season last season, White played 76 games in the first 82 games, averaging 33.9 minutes per game, averaging 16.4 points, 4.5 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 0.9 steals and 1.1 blocks, and 1.7 turnovers and 1.8 fouls, shooting percentage of 44.2%, three-point shooting percentage of 38.4%, and free throw shooting percentage of 83.9%. In the playoffs, White played 11 times in total, with averaging 37.7 minutes per game, averaging 18.8 points, 5.1 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 0.6 steals and 1.1 blocks, and 1.2 turnovers and 2 fouls. His shooting percentage was 46.3%, three-point shooting percentage was 38.5%, and free throw shooting percentage was 86.1%.

In a February 2022 deal, the Celtics sent Josh Richardson, the 2022 first-round pick 2028 first-round swap rights and Romeo Langford to the Spurs and got White from the Spurs. In July last year, after helping the team win the championship, the Celtics provided White with a large contract renewal of $118 million. In fact, for White, joining the Celtics can be regarded as a helping force for his career. After joining the Celtics, White showed comprehensive personal abilities. He can play a decisive role in both offense and defense. He also made great contributions to the team's championship last season. It is also because of this that White got a large contract, and he would receive a huge salary until 2029. By that time, he was already a 35-year-old veteran. If White continued to stay with the Spurs, his situation would obviously not be as ideal. On the other hand, should White really thank the Spurs for sending him to the Celtics?