Payton Pritchard is heading into the new season as the reigning Sixth Man of the Year. He will also be in the running to secure a starting role within the Boston Celtics rotation.
Pritchard has gone from strength to strength in recent years. As such, he likely holds legitimate trade value around the NBA. It’s for that reason why Bill Simmons believes the sharpshooting guard should emerge as a potential trade target for the Houston Rockets.
Ime Udoka’s team is still reeling from losing Fred VanVleet to an ACL injury earlier this month.
“Payton Pritchard … weirdly lines up with Reed Sheppard’s salary,” Simmons said in a recent episode of “The Bill Simmons Podcast.” “So part of the question for me is, if I’m doing a trade value list, where is Reed Sheppard? He’s certainly not in the top 50. Is his trade value higher than Payton Pritchard’s? Is it lower? Is it the same? I have no idea.”
Simmons continued.
“I really like Payton Pritchard (in Boston), but I also like that move for the Rockets. I actually think that’s the answer in this (VanVleet situation) because it’s a little lower-risk. It makes sense for Boston because you would only do it if you got a better asset than him as a player. Then you keep (Anfernee) Simons for the year, and you have this asset that maybe you could flip back.”
It would likely take a sizeable offer for Brad Stevens to consider parting ways with Pritchard. However, given the Rockets’ status as a contender, they may be tempted to meet a higher asking price to ensure they remain among the favorites to secure a championship.
The Celtics Should Keep Pritchard
Unless the Rockets produce a “can’t miss” offer, the Celtics should resist the temptation to part ways with Pritchard. Not only was he the best sixth man in the NBA last season, but he was also a core part of the team that won a championship in 2024.
Pritchard’s ability to increase the tempo when on the floor gives the Celtics a level of unpredictability. He’s also still got room to grow as both a playmaker and three-level scorer. Furthermore, Pritchard brings a winning mentality to the court and always approaches games with a team-first mentality.
There’s little reason for the Celtics to entertain losing Pritchard, especially as it will strengthen another team’s ability to contend for titles in the next few years.
Brad Stevens’ Doesn’t Have a Tax Mandate
Another reason the Celtics should hold onto Pritchard is that the team has already suffered a talent drain this summer. Stevens’ moves have ensured the Celtics are no longer a second luxury apron team. Therefore, the need to shed salary is far less pressing.
In fact, in a September 25 press conference, Stevens confirmed that he isn’t under any instructions to get the Celtics outside of the luxury tax.
“We’re looking at it from the standpoint of, let’s see what this team looks like,” Stevens said. “Let’s put our very best foot forward…We’ll evaluate the roster like we always will as the year goes on. But there’s no tax goal. There’s nothing that’s set in stone that we have to get to a certain level. The level, obviously, where we were earlier this summer, that’s not close to where we are now. And listen, we’ve said goodbye to awesome people and really good players. But I think we’ve added people who are excited to add their strings together and see what we can do.”
If the Celtics aren’t under pressure to slice any additional salary off their cap sheet, Stevens will undoubtedly be negotiating from a position of strength. Therefore, it’s hard to envision the Celtics being open to trading one of their key contributors.
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