The Celtics may have found a useful talking point in Keyonte George’s new extension as they look ahead to Payton Pritchard’s next deal.
Boston knows this one won’t be simple. Pritchard’s value keeps rising, and the way he performed in games without Jaylen Brown last season only adds to the bill if he takes another step in a bigger role.
The Celtics have every reason to want him in the long-term picture, and they can offer him a raise of 140% over his current contract, which is already one of the NBA’s best bargain deals. By the time the numbers are final, Boston can put three years and $67 million on the table.
That kind of offer might look like a discount once Pritchard’s season plays out, but the Celtics may already have a built-in example to lean on.
Yesterday, George agreed to a five-year, $157.5 million extension with the Utah Jazz. It was money he earned after a breakout season, but he also could have pushed his stock even higher by betting on himself.
Instead, he locked in long-term security and stayed in Utah, accepting a deal that was still rich by any normal standard but came in below what he might have reached by waiting. The reason was clear: he wanted to remain with the Jazz, and both sides wanted to avoid the tax aprons.
That’s the kind of reality Boston may point to with Pritchard. The message would be straightforward: the Celtics want to pay him, but there’s a ceiling, and those tax aprons are part of it.
George’s deal gives them another example to show how teams are operating under those restrictions. Ausar Thompson did something similar, too, even as the Jalen Duren situation has continued in Motown.
Of course, Pritchard’s own feelings matter most, and there’s no guarantee Boston can simply assume he’ll take a team-friendly path. His time with the Celtics has not always looked like this, and after making seven figures annually on his earlier deal, he has every reason to push for as much money as possible.
Still, Brad Stevens has a track record of squeezing every advantage out of the rules in front of him. George’s extension may not settle anything right away, but it could help lay the groundwork for a deal with Pritchard later on, even if that agreement is still a year or more away.
In Other News...
Neemias Queta Gets Honest About Celtics Losing Jaylen Brown
At a community event unveiling a basketball court celebrating the Portuguese diaspora, Neemias Queta stepped into a different kind of spotlight while still keeping one eye on the Celtics offseason reshuffle. The Boston center, who continues to carry a meaningful connection to his roots, spoke candidly about the recent trade that sent Jaylen Brown to the Philadelphia 76ers and brought Paul George to Boston, calling Browns exit a sad part of the business while recognizing the realities that come with roster change.
Queta also spent time talking about another new addition in Mitchell Robinson, and the fit could matter just as much as the headline move. He praised Robinsons rebounding ability and described the possibility of the two sharing the frontcourt as a potentially useful look for Boston, giving the Celtics a different kind of interior presence as they sort through what the post-Brown roster is going to become. [Read more 🡒]
Brad Stevens Admits Why The Jaylen Brown Trade Hurt So Much
Jaylen Browns exit from Boston was always going to land hard. After a decade in green, the move sent one of the Celtics most important players to Philadelphia, and team president Brad Stevens made clear the decision came down to balancing the roster against the realities of the teams finances and the need to add depth.
Brown now joins a 76ers group that is suddenly loaded with star power, including LeBron James, and the move only raises the stakes in the Eastern Conference. For Boston, it is the kind of trade that can make sense on paper and still sting in the gut, especially when it involves a player who spent so much of his career as part of the Celtics core identity. [Read more 🡒]
Jaylen Brown Trade Debate Just Took On New Meaning For Celtics Fans
Contract decisions can reshape a team long before the games start, and the Pistons standoff with Jalen Duren has reopened an old Celtics conversation in a new way. For Boston fans, it is a familiar reminder of how front offices sometimes choose to move a young piece early rather than let an extension talks loom over the roster and the cap sheet.
Jaylen Browns trade still stands as the cleanest example of that kind of forward thinking, with Boston opting to act before he reached extension eligibility and the negotiation could become more complicated. Seen through the Pistons current situation, the move looks less like a simple basketball decision and more like a way to preserve flexibility, avoid an internal tug-of-war and keep the franchise from being boxed in by one difficult contract discussion. [Read more 🡒]