How Payton Pritchard having his contract option picked up impacts Celtics future

https://www.masslive.com/celtics/2022/10/how-payton-pritchard-having-his-contract-option-picked-up-impacts-celtics-future.html



How Payton Pritchard having his contract option picked up impacts Celtics future



Published: Oct. 30, 2022, 11:22 a.m.


By Brian Robb | brobb@masslive.com



In a move that comes as no surprise, the Celtics elected to pick up Payton Pritchard’s rookie option for the 2023-24 season this weekend, a league source confirmed to MassLive.com. Boston had until a Monday deadline to elect to exercise the team option.

The decision locks in Pritchard’s salary at $4.0 million for next season, a bargain salary for one of the team’s top shooters in recent years. Pritchard shot 41.2 percent from 3-point range last season and played a major role off the bench during Boston’s run to the NBA Finals. He’s seen his role reduced this year though on the heels of the team acquiring Malcolm Brogdon from the Indiana Pacers in an offseason trade, playing in just two games this year thus far.


With Pritchard’s option picked up for the 2023-24 campaign, there are a few underlying impacts on the Celtics for both the present and the future that are worth tackling so let’s go through each of them here.

Celtics exercising option now does not impact Pritchard’s trade status this season: Some teams deal with trade restrictions with players in-season after agreeing to extensions or a contract in free agency. However, those limitations do not apply to an original rookie contract. The Celtics picked up Pritchard’s option for next year but he is still eligible to be traded at any point during this year. That’s important given the complexion of Boston’s roster at this point where Pritchard, a key rotation player for the team last year and a valuable trade chip, remains on the outside of Joe Mazzulla’s rotation for the time being due to the team’s improved depth.


Celtics payroll for next season climbs higher: Pritchard becomes the eighth player on the Celtics roster to have his contract guaranteed for next season. Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Malcolm Brogdon, Marcus Smart, Derrick White and Rob Williams all have long-term pacts with Boston that run beyond 2024. Danilo Gallinari has a player option for $6.8 million for next season that he is all but guaranteed to pick up coming off his torn ACL in September. That makes Pritchard’s $4 million deal a bargain on a pricy payroll since the remainder of Boston’s rotation players will be earning $11 million or more next year. The Celtics already have $145 million guaranteed to eight players and that doesn’t include pending free agents Al Horford and Grant Williams for the summer of 2023. Pritchard may be a nice trade chip for the present but having a low-cost option off the bench will prove to be valuable down the road as well if the team elects to hold onto him.


Extension talks await next summer: If Pritchard remains a Celtic through this current season, the Celtics will be able to negotiate a potential rookie extension with him now starting on July 1st leading up to next October. The team has agreed to long-term extensions with Rob Williams and Jaylen Brown in 2021 and 2019 respectively but failed to come to terms with Grant Williams this October by the NBA deadline.


Bob


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Even in these days of raging high salaries I don't know how 4 million is a bargain for someone who currently is averaging 4.5 minutes per game and shooting 33%.
Okay, if you want to factor in the previous 2 seasons he is still averaging 16.4 minutes per game which in itself is deceiving because his minutes played are steadily heading downhill. 19.2- 14.1- 4.5. His first season at 19.2 is skewing the overall numbers. Again numbers can distort reality.
His career FG % is 43.4. And again that # has been drifting downward from 44% his first season to this current season 33.3%. Again, numbers.
He’ll probably be traded so maybe thats where the bargain factor kicks in but 4 mill for what we are getting in return is an over pay IMHO.

Not surprised that the Celts picked up his 23-24 option.

His minutes are down as I expected.

Rookie salaries are pretty much set in stone for 1st round picks.

He could be a trade filler but the Celtics have unitl the 2024 trade deadline to move him.