Celtics news
Archived — this story has rotated out of today’s deck. It is kept here in full.
The gist
The Celtics traded Jaylen Brown this summer and are now rejecting trade offers for Derrick White.
Boston enters camp in three weeks with Jayson Tatum needing a new No.
Background
Boston reshaped its roster this offseason by trading away Jaylen Brown, a move that prompted rival teams to test whether the Celtics would make an even bigger shakeup. Several teams inquired about veteran guard Derrick White, but Boston turned down all of them, according to Heavy.com's Sean Deveney. Meanwhile, trade speculation has swirled around Paul George, whom one outlet calls the Celtics' best trade asset, and around future draft picks Boston controls. Training camp opens in three weeks and the season tips off in Detroit in six weeks.
How it unfolded
- May 2026The Celtics hire former star Isaiah Thomas as a pro and college scout; he works primarily from Seattle evaluating West Coast players.
- Summer 2026Boston trades away Jaylen Brown, changing its starting five for next season.
- Jun 2026Thomas participates in Boston's draft process and calls in the team's Dillon Mitchell selection, per assistant GM Mike Zarren.
- Sep 5, 2026CelticsBlog's daily links roundup highlights a SB Nation Reacts poll calling Joe Mazzulla's seat 'lukewarm' and a CLNS Media piece asking if Jayson Tatum is ready to be a leader.
- Sep 6, 2026Isaiah Thomas says he is not necessarily finished playing basketball and wants to play overseas after his return to the Celtics organization.
- Sep 8, 2026NBC Sports Boston's Ramp to Camp series asks what the Celtics will miss most about Brown, noting he won 2024 Finals MVP and earned a second All-NBA nod.
- Sep 9, 2026Reports say the Celtics tried to land a $110M award winner in the Jaylen Brown trade; another proposed deal would flip Paul George for a $226 million duo.
- Sep 10, 2026MassLive reports Boston is rejecting all trade offers for Derrick White, who remains under contract for three more seasons with a 2028-29 player option.
- Sep 11, 2026NESN floats a trade pitch landing a $217M three-time All-Star, the son of a Hall of Famer.
Who’s saying what
- Analysts
- NBC Sports Boston frames the central question as how Boston replaces Brown's scoring, leadership, perimeter defense and clutch playoff play, with Payton Pritchard possibly taking a larger scoring role.
- Caution
- A SB Nation Reacts poll describes head coach Joe Mazzulla's seat as 'lukewarm,' while CLNS Media asks whether Jayson Tatum is ready to be a leader.
- Bulls
- NESN's trade pitch argues that acquiring a $217M three-time All-Star would make Mazzulla and the Celtics better, and that Paul George could return to top form in Boston's system.
- Speculation
- Yahoo/Heavy trade proposals suggest Boston could flip Paul George for a $226 million duo, though the deal would push the team $5.7 million over the tax line and require a follow-up move.
Still unverified
All trade items are proposals or rumors, not completed deals: the $217M three-time All-Star pitch, the Paul George-for-$226M-duo proposal, the reported attempt to land a $110M award winner for Jaylen Brown, and the report that Boston rejected Derrick White offers (attributed to Heavy.com's Sean Deveney). The exact return in the Jaylen Brown trade is not specified in the material.