What would it take for the Boston Celtics to trade Payton Pritchard this summer?
Pritchard is coming off the best season of his career, in which he won NBA Sixth Man of the Year.
Pritchard’s numbers per 36 minutes for Boston in 2024-25 suggest that he would be an awesome starting point guard: 18.1 points, 4.9 rebounds, 4.4 assists, and 1.1 steals per 36 minutes on 40.7 percent from three.
Even better, Pritchard is on a cheap deal. Here’s what his upcoming salary looks like:
2025-26: $7.2M
2026-27: $7.8M
2027-28: $8.3M
In sum, Pritchard represents one of the best contracts in the NBA, and Celtics GM Brad Stevens would be foolish to move him.
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Yahoo’s Kevin O’Connor recently discussed this about Pritchard and noted what kind of deal it would take for Stevens to consider trading the gifted guard.
“Payton Pritchard … has great value,” O’Connor said during a new episode of The Kevin O’Connor Show.
“I don't know why the Celtics would move him.”
“I’d imagine if they were to move Pritchard it would be like some surprising, ridiculous, ‘You guys are really offering that?’ type of return.”
Stevens did well to sign Pritchard to a four-year, $30 million deal, that’s for sure.
Pritchard promises to have even more opportunity in 2025-26, as the Celtics will be without their top scoring option Jayson Tatum.
Pritchard could be one of the driving forces behind Boston having a surprisingly successful season without Tatum.
He’s been underrated his entire career, and the exciting thing for the Celtics is that Pritchard may still have his best basketball ahead of him. He’s still just 27 years old and has improved every season.
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