Warriors Urged to Land NBA Champion Guard to Pair With Curry
The Golden State Warriors remain stuck in the Jonathan Kuminga saga. The 22-year-old forward is still a restricted free agent, and the standoff has left Golden State frozen in place this summer. Around the league, the belief is that Kuminga doesn’t want to be part of the organization long-term. The problem? The Warriors haven’t yet found a trade that makes sense.
One dream scenario has been floated by Sports Illustrated’s Liam Willerup: a swap with the Boston Celtics for guard Derrick White.
Warriors Linked to Derrick White
White has quietly become one of the most valuable guards in the league. He doesn’t have superstar shine, but he does everything that wins games—defense, ball movement, shot-making, and composure in big moments.
Most points on 50/40/90% splits in a playoffs:
466 — Larry Bird (1986)387 — Kevin Durant (2019)332 — Kawhi Leonard (2017)267 — Derrick White (2023) pic.twitter.com/PLQLGQKnNv
— StatMuse (@statmuse) September 3, 2025
For the Warriors, White would be a dream fit. He could slot in next to Stephen Curry, guard the toughest backcourt assignments, and play off the ball in lineups with Curry, Jimmy Butler, and Draymond Green. On paper, he’s the perfect “new Splash Bro.”
But that’s exactly why Boston wouldn’t want to part with him. With Jayson Tatum sidelined for the season, White’s role is even more critical. Unless the Warriors were willing to throw in multiple first-round picks on top of Kuminga, it’s hard to see the Celtics entertaining the idea.
The Boston Celtics ‘laughed’ at the Toronto Raptors’ trade offer for Derrick White, per @ZachLowe_NBA
“There were reports that the Raptors offered the No. 9 pick for Derrick White. I’m told that’s true, but that it happened a month and a half ago after Jayson Tatum got hurt,… pic.twitter.com/v0vYenueJX
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) June 29, 2025
Why It’s Unlikely but Tempting
As Willerup notes, White will turn 32 at the start of next season. The Celtics could, in theory, pivot younger to extend their window. Still, it’s a stretch. Boston has shown no indication they’d move White, and the Warriors have in the past been extremely reluctant to part with draft capital—reserving that kind of package only for an MVP-level superstar, the type of player Giannis Antetokounmpo would represent if he were ever to become available.
That’s why this feels like fantasy more than reality. Kuminga on his own doesn’t command the kind of value White holds. If anything, this would be a “best case” return for Golden State in what has become a disastrous situation with Kuminga’s restricted free agency.
And yet, if there were ever a price for White, the Warriors should pay it. Multiple firsts, even. He’s the exact kind of player who could steady this roster, elevate Curry in the backcourt, and give Golden State its best shot at squeezing one more deep playoff run out of this core.
Vikes Beat the Bears with a Furious Late-Game Comeback
The NFL is bananas. Josh Allen throws for more than 250 yards in the fourth quarter to lead his team back from a 15-point deficit to beat the Ravens on Sunday night. Well, move over Josh, because JJ McCarthy knows something about late game heroics.
The Minnesota Vikings wrapped up the first week of the 2025 NFL season on Monday night the road game in Chicago and they came away with a 27-24 victory after one of the most improbable comebacks in their history, which is saying something. Down by 11 at the beginning of the fourth quarter, the Vikings watched the Bears miss a field goal and the Purple comeback commenced. JJ McCarthy, the second-year quarterback in his first start in the NFL, came to life and became the first quarterback in NFL history to have three touchdowns in the fourth quarter in his debut (per ESPN). When he crossed the goal line with his own rushing score, the Vikings grabbed a 10-point lead and held on for the win.
The victory doesn’t happen, however, without the defense, which gave up a touchdown early and another one late, but provided the offense an opportunity to win the game. With big play after big play by Eric Wilson, Javon Hargrave, Josh Metellus and the rest of the defensive line, the team hung around long enough for McCarthy and the offense to become ignited.
To everybody watching, the Vikings looked dead in the water after the third quarter, but then momentum changed—and the Bears could not stem the tide. The Vikings defense gave up only 17 points on the road on Monday in Soldier Field (where weird things often take place).
And now J.J. McCarthy can grab the team, the offense and the fan base and become the leader Purple Nation is hoping he will become. Far from perfect (whether it was due to debut game jitters or not), McCarthy looks like he belongs. He finally got a taste of NFL action, and the work now begins to become an even better player in this league.
It was a big night for the QB and even bigger one for the team, and the co-hosts of Vikings Territory Breakdown podcast (Joe Oberle, senior writer at vikingsterritory.com and purplePTSD.com and Mark Craig, NFL and Vikings writer for the Star Tribune and startribune.com) are on hand to talk about it all. From the sleepy Vikings first half to the fans’ sleepless night due to victory celebration, we will break it all down. Tune in and check it out. Skol!
