The ’22-23 NBA trade deadline is Feb. 23, and with that date approaching, whispers are beginning to turn to rumors around the league. According to Heavy’s Steve Bulpett, rival teams are beginning to show interest in Boston’s Payton Pritchard.
Pritchard is a 25-year-old sharpshooter who played four years of college ball at Oregon. As such, Pritchard has shot 40.5% on 3-pointers for his career while providing steady support in reserve for the Celtics. As Bulpett noted, Pritchard’s minutes have declined this year with the arrival of Malcolm Brogdon. Pritchard is averaging just 10.5 minutes per game for the season, a career low, while also seeing a dip in his effectiveness from deep.
Regardless, teams around the NBA are intrigued by Pritchard’s shooting, and reliability has earned the attention of opposing front offices. Early this season, Sean Deveney, also of Heavy, told the Celtics Lab Podcast the Utah Jazz could be interested in a trade for Payton Pritchard.
A possible trade wouldn’t just be about reuniting Pritchard with former Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge. Instead, an opposing team staffer told Bulpett Pritchard could perhaps flourish with more opportunity, and that there are multiple teams quietly checking the temperature here.
“He plays hard, he can really push the ball and he’s got a nice stroke from 3,” said one source about Pritchard. “I like what I see, but it’s hard to say for sure if he could do more with a better opportunity.”
The trade front has thus far been quite, not just for the Celtics, but across the NBA. As that buzz inevitably turns louder, though, we could here more about Pritchard in the weeks to come.
“I know I’m not the only team checking on him.” The source told Bulpett.
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