Celtics Reportedly Give Payton Pritchard Surprise Extension

If we would have told you two months ago that the Boston Celtics would lock Payton Pritchard into a long-term extension, you would have called us crazy.

You wouldn’t have been wrong to say that, either.

Pritchard spent the majority of last season angling for a trade out of Boston, but thanks to a few developments over the summer, he’ll be calling the city home for the foreseeable future. The 25-year-old reportedly agreed to a four-year, $30 million contract extension with the Celtics on Sunday, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

The contract extension seemingly cropped up out of nowhere, but makes sense given how the Celtics’ roster is currently constructed.

In 2022-23, Pritchard was Boston’s fourth guard and struggled to find consistent playing time. He averaged just 13.4 minutes per game across 48 games played — both career lows. Pritchard’s placement on the depth chart, behind Marcus Smart, Derrick White and Malcolm Brogdon, influenced a role change that took the ball out of his hands and influenced a drop in shooting percentage.

In 2023-24, Pritchard should see an uptick in playing time. Smart and Brogdon were both shipped out of town, with Jrue Holiday coming in and joining the starting lineup with White. That will make Pritchard the top guard off the bench, where he’ll likely lead the unit on offense.

If that much was ever in doubt, the reported extension makes it fairly certain that the Celtics are comfortable putting the ball in his hands.