Desmond Bane trade just changed everything for Jaylen Brown and Derrick White

The Orlando Magic coughing up four first-round picks and one first-round picks for Desmond Bane may have just completely altered the entire Boston Celtics offseason. Shams Charania of ESPN first reported the news. If that’s the market price for someone like Bane, potential offers for Derrick White and Jaylen Brown, in particular, may be astronomical. An offer like that would make it very hard for the Celtics to hang up the phone.

Orlando sent the No. 16 pick in this year’s draft, a 2026 Phoenix Suns first-rounder, their own unprotected first-round picks in 2028 and 2030, and a protected pick swap in 2029 to the Memphis Grizzlies, along with Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Cole Anthony—an absolute haul of a trade package.

Where does that leave White and Brown?

What does Desmond Bane trade mean for Jaylen Brown and Derrick White?

Certain trades set the market for the rest of the league. Based on the player involved (Bane) and the players Boston could trade this summer (White, Brown, Kristaps Porzingis, and Jrue Holiday), front offices around the league may have to adjust their trade-offer starting point.

Bane is 26 years old, so he’s still entering the prime of his career. He’s been a knockdown shooter since entering the league, which is exactly what the Magic need.

Plus, his shot creation alongside Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner, and Jalen Suggs is a perfect fit. Orlando’s offense has been awful for years, and adding Bane will go a long way toward fixing that issue.

But where does that leave White and Brown?

Both guys are older than Bane, but they live in the same tier of players.

Bane is a better pure scorer than White, which is ideal for Orlando, but White is the far better defender. He’s also a better ball-handler and maybe even a better overall role player.

Brown isn’t the same level of shooter as Bane, but as a scorer, he’s reached heights Bane has yet to realize. However, the new Magic wing is on a much friendlier contract.

Still, it seems inevitable that the Celtics will look at the Bane trade, look back at their guys, and want a similar return in exchange for Brown and White.

The question is, will that potential philosophy shift help or hurt the Celtics this summer?

Will Desmond Bane trade help or hurt Celtics?

On the one hand, the Celtics have already reportedly been refusing to act from a place of contract dumping. They don’t plan on giving anyone away. If they don’t get positive value back, they aren’t making a deal.

And that’s especially true when it comes to White and Brown. In fact, in the case of those guys, they need to be blown away by a trade package. 

Would this Bane trade have been enough to pique Boston’s interest? Maybe. However, with it occurring in the current league year, they couldn’t have done it. Plus, the Caldwell-Pope and Anthony contracts would have made it hard to save money now and in the future, which is a primary goal of the Celtics’ offseason.

That said, Bane going for four firsts could make the Celtics ask for more in a potential White or Brown trade.

From there, it’s merely a question of ‘Will the teams actually pay that price?’

In the case of teams like the Golden State Warriors, a team with aging stars in desperate need of more firepower to compete in a loaded West, probably, yes. But for teams like the Houston Rockets and San Antonio Spurs, teams with young cores that don’t seem intent on rushing thingrobs, pably not.

All that’s left to do is wait and see which teams call the Celtics.