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All season long, the Boston Celtics have proven to be one of the top dogs in the entire association but, when it comes to point guard Payton Pritchard, it appears he's been more present in the dog house rather than within the club's active rotation.
Despite putting forth rather impressive contributions for the team during his first two seasons in the league, year three has proven to be a real downer for the 25-year-old. He has struggled to come across any semblance of consistent playing time for the second-seeded C's due to the backcourt talents of Marcus Smart, Malcolm Brogdon, and Derrick White all being placed ahead of him on the proverbial talent totem pole.
Due to this existing predicament, leading up to the trade deadline it was rumored that Pritchard was open to being dealt out of Boston to secure a larger role elsewhere though, ultimately, no such transaction came to fruition and the young guard still finds himself residing in Beantown for the time being.
However, this is not to say that the two parties won't look to find a suitor for his services elsewhere during this upcoming offseason and, should Brad Stevens end up shopping the former first rounder, an anonymous Eastern Conference GM informed Heavy Sports' Sean Deveney that there are three teams, in specific, that could look to inquire about his availability.
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“There are definitely some teams to watch there. Orlando had an interest, they are not that sold on their options at point guard—(Markelle) Fultz has had so many injury troubles, Cole Anthony needs the ball so much, (Jalen) Suggs is more of a two-guard. If they are going to run things through Paolo (Banchero) then a guy like Pritchard, who can manage the game, take good care of the ball, and make his shots when needed, is a good fit. It is just a matter of, can he defend?
Pritchard is Danny’s guy, too, don’t forget. Ainge would love to get him back, and have him in Utah. The Jazz have the Sixers’ pick in this draft; something could get done there. Cleveland asked about Pritchard, too, from what I understand. They have some concerns, long-term, about depth at point guard, and about Ricky Rubio’s health,” The GM told Deveney, as transcribed by Heavy Sports' Adam Taylor.
Still attached to his rookie-scale contract through 2024-25, Payton Pritchard has established himself as a quality contributor throughout his still young tenure in the NBA.
He has proven to be more than capable of aiding in winning basketball as he registered the fifth highest plus-minus rating for the Celtics out of those who logged 1,000-plus minutes during their 2021-22 season where they wound up clinching their first NBA Finals berth since 2009-10.
Despite being relegated to an end-of-bench role now in 2022-23, throughout his career Pritchard finds himself sporting impressive averages of 20.2 points, 6.2 rebounds, 5.3 assists, and 1.3 steals per 100 possessions whilst shooting 39.5% from distance.
Should the young guard be placed on the trade block this coming offseason, it's almost certain that he'll garner considerable interest from rival clubs across the association and, in the eyes of this Eastern Conference executive, the Orlando Magic, Utah Jazz, and Cleveland Cavaliers could all wind up tossing their hats into the ring in an effort to acquire his services.
