The Boston Celtics are the greatest club in the NBA this season, sitting atop the Eastern Conference rankings with a 14-4 record. The Celtics, led by Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, have the league’s ninth-best offense and second-best defense. This blend of attack and defense has earned them the NBA’s best net rating.
Given how good they’ve looked this season, it’s easy to forget that the Celtics underwent a major change this summer. Sure, the Celtics landed two former All-Stars in Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday. They did, however, lose some crucial components. They gave up a fan favorite in Marcus Smart, who was often characterized as the team’s heart. They parted ways with key players such as Malcolm Brogdon, Grant Williams, and Robert Williams.
As you can see, by bringing in more star power in Porzingis and Smart, the Celtics lost a lot of depth, which has been their strength over the last few of seasons. However, players such as Payton Pritchard, Sam Hauser, and Luke Kornet have taken on larger responsibilities off the bench thus far. Can Boston, however, count on them to play meaningful postseason minutes? To remedy their lack of depth, the Celtics may need to make a deal. Payton Pritchard is one player the Celtics should consider trading.
Why the Celtics should trade Payton Pritchard
This summer, the Boston Celtics rewarded Payton Pritchard with a four-year, $30 million contract deal. During the February trade deadline earlier this year, it was reported that Pritchard had grown frustrated with his lack of playing time in Boston and sought a transfer elsewhere. However, the Celtics signed him to a contract that will keep him in Boston until 2028.
Fast forward to more than a month into the 2023-24 NBA season, and Pritchard isn’t off to a good start in his fourth season. Given the new opportunity, there were high expectations for the former Oregon standout to become a major piece of Boston’s bench. However, Pritchard hasn’t made the impact that many Celtics supporters expected, even after signing that extension.
Pritchard is averaging 6.3 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 2.8 assists in 18 games this season, while shooting 38.9 percent from the field and 33.3 percent from outside the arc, both of which are career lows.
Despite his shortcomings, Pritchard is Boston’s most prized trade asset outside of its core veterans. However, because he only signed his extension in October, trading him comes with a poison pill provision that complicates any transaction.
The poison pill requires any team that acquires Pritchard to pay the average of his current-year salary ($4.0 million) and his annual compensation throughout his extension ($7.5 million). Meanwhile, only $4 million will be deducted from Boston’s budget.
