The Raptors offered the No. 9 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft for Derrick White—and later for Jrue Holiday—but the Celtics quickly turned them down, valuing both players far more.
The Boston Celtics may have entered the offseason looking to cut costs, but that didn’t stop teams from testing their willingness to move key players.
According to Zach Lowe, the Toronto Raptors made a bold attempt to land Derrick White by offering the No. 9 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. Boston wasn’t interested.
“There were reports that the Raptors offered No. 9 for Derrick White,” Lowe said on June 26. “I’m told that’s true, but it happened like a month-and-a-half ago, right after Jayson Tatum got hurt, and Boston laughed at that offer and said, ‘We need way more than No. 9 for Derrick White.'”
White is still with the Celtics and will begin a new four-year, $118 million contract when the 2025–26 season tips off. Toronto kept its draft pick and selected forward Collin Murray-Boyles instead.
Interestingly, White wasn’t the only target on Toronto’s radar. NBA insider Jake Fischer revealed the Raptors made a similar push for Jrue Holiday, offering that same No. 9 pick in hopes of landing either veteran guard.
“Toronto Raptors were calling for the number nine pick for Jrue and for Derrick,” Fischer said. “I don’t think Boston ever really was so interested in that selection for one of those types of guys.”
Ultimately, the Celtics did decide to shake things up. Both Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis were traded this offseason following Boston’s second-round playoff exit at the hands of the New York Knicks.
That loss came just one year after they won the 2024 NBA championship.
White, acquired by Boston in 2022 from the San Antonio Spurs, has become a key piece of the Celtics’ backcourt. That trade sent Josh Richardson, Romeo Langford, a 2022 first-rounder (used to draft Blake Wesley), and a 2028 pick swap to San Antonio—clearly a price Boston still considers well worth it.
