Payton Pritchard and the Celtics went into Thursday without a new deal in place, and for now, that’s where things stay.
The guard became eligible for a contract extension on the first day Thursday, but Boston and Pritchard did not reach terms. He can still add as much as three years and $69 million to the two-year, $16 million contract he’s currently on, with that window open until Oct. 19.
The numbers only tell part of the story. Pritchard’s value has climbed well beyond that level after a stretch that included winning Sixth Man of the Year and becoming the Celtics’ second-leading scorer last season before Jayson Tatum returned.
This season, he’s expected to help make up the scoring Boston lost when Jaylen Brown was traded for Paul George, joining George and Derrick White in a bigger offensive load. That leaves Pritchard in the kind of spot players usually dream about - and sometimes gamble on.
“I think we have a lot of good players, so to be a championship level team, everybody’s gotta excel and get better,” Pritchard said at media day. “I don’t think it’s gonna be on one particular person to like, oh, he just needs to do more.
I’m not coming into this year and being like, Jaylen’s gone and it’s my turn. That’s not at all what the mindset is.
It’s everyone of us has to take a jump, get a little better.”
There’s another layer to the timing. Starting July 2, 2027, Pritchard becomes eligible for a four-year, $100 million extension, and by then he should have even more chances to handle the offense and let it fly as a scorer. Steph Noh’s salary model pegged his production at about $28 million in 2025-26, even though Pritchard is making just under $8 million on the four-year, $30 million contract he signed before he broke through as a regular contributor.
That current deal runs through 2028, rises to $8.3 million in 2027-28, and then ends with Pritchard set to hit unrestricted free agency. At that point, he could command up to the 30% max, roughly five years and $321.5 million.
Other teams could offer four years at 30% of the cap with 5% annual raises, which would total $238.4 million. A five-year deal with a $29 million average annual value would come to $145 million, which is slightly more than the extension he could accept next summer.
So there’s a real case for waiting, even if Boston would like to lock him in. Pritchard told CLNS Media last month that he’s happy in Boston, and he also praised how things have gone heading into training camp. He’s about to have his first child, and he keeps a home in Cape Cod, where he hosts annual workouts that have helped fuel his steady rise.
For the Celtics, the situation is still manageable. Their maximum current offer would keep Pritchard at a number well below what he might be worth on the open market later, but Brad Stevens has shown a willingness to extend his players aggressively.
This summer, that included Neemias Queta, Ron Harper Jr. and Jordan Walsh. Stevens also pointed to the Brown trade and its financial effects as a possible way to keep the core together.
“You talk about Paul (George’s) contract a little bit and how it times up, that’ll give us optionality not only in adding to our team, but also retaining some of our team,” Stevens said in July. “Which I think is important.”
No agreement this month doesn’t amount to a warning sign. The better move for both sides could be to wait until next summer, when the structure may look different and more appealing. In the meantime, Pritchard remains under contract and set to remain a key part of Boston’s rotation over the next two seasons.
And the league has noticed the work he’s put in. “Payton’s a menace, man,” Mike Conley Jr. said in training camp.
“He’s an absolute crazy person when it comes to trying to improve his game. I’ve been impressed with just the awareness to ask questions.
He’s constantly asking, what’s your thought process with this? How do you break this down?
I’m not as good at this, but I wanna be good at that. He’s got everything in his game, all the tools, his ball-handling, his ability to score at his size, his strength his, balance.
He’s gonna have a big year.”
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