The Boston Celtics are trying to thread a tiny needle, keeping together the core of their championship team while selling off the rest of the roster to save money. Should they consider moving off of Derrick White if in return they gain financial flexibility and future assets?
The devastating injury for the Celtics happened in last year's playoffs and determined their offseason strategy. For the Houston Rockets, that injury just happened, as veteran point guard Fred VanVleet tore his ACL and will likely miss the entire season.
The Rockets will go into the season with their current roster and see if their young players are ready to step up, but almost certainly they will need to look to the trade market to replace some of what VanVleet brought: playmaking, on-ball scoring, off-ball spacing, point of attack defense and championship leadership.