NBA Rumors: Ime Udoka Eyed Derrick White Before Celtics Extension

Ime Udoka and the Houston Rockets thoroughly considered their offseason options, including reuniting their head coach with guard Derrick White before the Boston Celtics got ahead of free agency and opened their wallets.

Boston retained White, fresh off a championship victory, on a four-year, $125 million deal to keep head coach Joe Mazzulla’s lethal backcourt tandem — with Jrue Holiday — intact for the franchise’s run at a repeat. That, however, changed Udoka’s blueprint in Houston, as the former Celtics head coach shifted gears upon discovering White’s decline to test the open market and give the Rockets a chance to inquire about a deal.

“For the Rockets’ part, once the team saw Donovan Mitchell (Cleveland Cavaliers) and Derrick White (Boston Celtics) extend their contracts over the summer and bypass free agency, they moved on from wanting to save cap space for 2025, sources said,” according to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst.

Udoka was the head honcho of Boston’s coaching staff in 2021-22 when the Celtics acquired White from the San Antonio Spurs. Initially, White was an off-the-bench, depth-enhancing backup playing behind Marcus Smart but the team’s faith in promoting White as time went by paid dividends. White debuted as a full-time starter last season, averaging a career-best 15.2 points, 4.2 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 1.2 blocks across 73 starts. His defensive tenacity and offensive efficiency (46.1% from the field) made him a critical part of Boston’s lineup and debatable snub at All-Star weekend in Indianapolis.

Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens, as he did with Holiday, Kristaps Porzingis, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown (last offseason), didn’t allow others to express their interest in White. As a result, Udoka and Houston’s ambitious offseason scheme quickly shifted as the Rockets allocated their funds to re-signing fourth-year veterans Alperen Sengun and Jalen Green.

So far, it’s been a slow and steady uprising for Udoka and the Rockets but one that’s endured a few blows amid the developmental process. Two summers ago, Houston was tied for the best odds (14%) at landing the No. 1 pick in the 2023 draft lottery — giving the Rockets hopes at landing Victory Wembanyama — but the franchise’s card didn’t fall in its favor as Houston instead settled for No. 4 (Amen Thompson).

There’s no doubt adding White to Udoka’s mix would do wonders for the Rockets, but there’s no incentive for the reigning NBA champion to leave Boston. The Celtics (clearly) were willing to pay whatever it took to keep White around, have the most talented roster in basketball and are poised to get back to the NBA Finals to strengthen White’s legacy that’ll forever be remembered in Boston.

Udoka’s defensive acumen and advocacy for spacing the floor just weren’t enough for White to say goodbye to the Celtics.