Pritchard Trade Ideas

[Who]

This thread is in response to this news below that Pritchard will be offered a contract in the $22mil per year range

Speaking of Pritchard, this was reported last week:

[Deveney] Celtics will offer Payton Pritchard 3 year, $67 million dollars extension this offseason, ?fingers crossed? he takes it

What do we all think of this? On one hand, Pritchard has been invaluable in his role for the Celtics for years now, but part of that has been him being on such a value contract. If we offer him $22.3M/yr, that will take up a lot more of our salary cap and limit our flexibility.

Not saying I want to trade him this offseason - I'm not even adamantly against the contract and keeping him moving forward - but I wonder what we could actually get in a trade for Pritchard if we made him available.

If Boston was to consider trading Pritchard, what sort of trade value do you think Pritchard has? What types of offers could BOS get for Pritchard?

I am struggling to think of good trade ideas. I believe most teams that pay a guy $20+mil do so because they want him to start. I'd have Pritchard somewhere around the 20th best PG in the league. So that leaves one third of the league where he would be a starting guard and two thirds of the league where he wouldn't. Of those bottom one third teams, almost all of them are rebuilding teams going through a youth process. I don't see Pritchard as a target for them.

[Who]

Teams with star guards - 21 teams

LAL - Luka Doncic
DET - Cade Cunningham
OKC - Shai Gilgeous Alexander

These 3 teams all have big guards playing as a PG. They could fit Pritchard in if they wanted to. OKC already has other PG options in Cason Wallace & Alex Caruso & Ajay Mitchell + they have cap problems on the horizon so I do not see them as a viable option for Pritchard.

DET would love to have Pritchard alongside Cade Cunningham. Pritchard would be ideal for them with his shooting ability and secondary ball-handling / passing to help Cade. However, DET have nothing to offer. They won't give up Cade, Duren or Ausar ... and I don't think they have anything else of enough value to give up Pritchard for.

LAL would like to have an athletic defender as their 4th starter alongside Luka, A Reaves, LeBron (or Hachimura if LBJ leaves). They have cap flexability. Pritchard, A Reaves, Luka would be weak defensively but awesome offensively. However, again, they have nothing to offer. Luka & A Reaves are too valuable. Hachimura maybe. A sign and trade for Hachimura. Hachimura would also cost close to $20mil per year. Is he a great fit for BOS? Probably not. You would put Tatum back to SF and Jaylen to SG. Or use Hachimura as a 6th man.

IND - Haliburton
GSW - Steph Curry
CLE - D Mitchell / J Harden
NYK - Brunson
DEN - J Murray

Denver try to avoid small guards next to Joker. Try to stay big on the perimeter to reduce how much Joker has to do defensively. Minimize the amount of ground he has to cover. Pritchard would be ideal for them offensively though. Maybe Cam Johnson for Pritchard ... but is that an upgrade for BOS? I don't think so.

CHA - LaMelo Ball
SAS - D Fox / D Harper / S Castle
PHI - T Maxey

POR - Jrue Holiday / Scoot Henderson

Pritchard as a possible long term fixture at PG to replace and aging Jrue Holiday. Pritchard went to college at Oregon. Local ties. Jrue $33mil contract. Tough to match contracts with.

MIA - T Herro, Davion Mitchell
MEM - Ja Morant
ORL - Jalen Suggs
LAC - D Garland

ORL need shooting. D Bane is locked in at SG. Suggs for Pritchard swap? Or Pritchard as a 6th man. Not sure they have much to offer. Maybe Wendell Carter Jr for Pritchard. Start Bitadze and have Mo Wagner as a backup center. Suggs earns $35mil. Hard to match contracts there.

UTA - Keyonte George
ATL - NAW, CJ McCollum + likely to draft a PG at #8
DAL - Kyrie Irving

Kyrie Irving may not be Dallas' plans anymore with Masai Ujiri in charge now. A Boston reunion? Kyrie earns $36mil. I don't know how you could make the contracts work.

A different target perhaps. I don't see them giving up D Lively. Perhaps PJ Washington for Pritchard? Use PJ Washington as a bench forward.

I mentioned Max Christie as a buy low candidate in another thread. Is there a way to make that work. Christie + 2027 1st round pick for Pritchard? Not sure that is enough. Bring back Anfernee Simons in FA as Pritchard's replacement as bench scorer.

Edit: WAS - Trae Young (I forgot him)

----------------------------

That is 20 teams + Boston with D White = 21 teams.

That leaves 9 other teams to look at.

[Who]

Teams Without Star PGs

TOR - Immanuel Quickley
HOU - Fred VanVleet / Reed Sheppard
MIN - Dosumu? Bones Hyland?

NOP - Jeremiah Fears, Dejounte Murray
MIL - Ryan Rollins
BKN - Egor Demin / Ben Saraf / Nolan Traore

PHX - Grayson Allen, Conor Gilispie
CHI - Tre Jones

The Middle 3 Teams

Okay, so New Orleans look out. Fears is their PG of the future. D Murray is a player for now. I don't see them interested in Pritchard.

Brooklyn took 3 PGs in the last draft. They might take another one in the lottery in this draft. MIL are likely to take a PG in this year's lottery as well. MIL are likely to trade Giannis and rebuild and thus are unlikely to be interested in Pritchard.

The Bottom 2 Teams

Pritchard would look great next to Josh Giddey. I like Tre Jones. He has done a good job for CHI. I am not sure what CHI has to offer for Pritchard. They have few assets outside of Giddey, #4 pick, Buzelis. I don't see a deal to be made here.

Pritchard would look great in that PHX offense but they already have a good thing going with Grayson Allen at PG alongside Jalen Green and Devin Booker. I don't see them making a change there. G Allen already gives them the shooting Pritchard provides. Conor Gilispie gives them a backup PG who provides a similar skill-set to Pritchard as well.

Top 3 Teams

Top 3 teams because they are all teams with playoff aspirations. More likely to be interested in a vet like Pritchard.

Houston desperately needs shooting. Pritchard would be a big upgrade offensively over VanVleet. Sheppard is improving but still not anywhere close to Pritchard (on either side of the floor). It is hard to see a trade though. A Sheppard for Pritchard trade works but that is a rebuilding trade for BOS. It puts them further away from a title.

Tari Eason is a FA. Sengun, Amen too valuable to trade for Pritchard. Jabari Smith Jr is likely too valuable to trade for Pritchard as well. He is 6-10 two way PF who can get you 15ppg with above average defense. He only costs $23mil so the money is workable. Pritchard & Hauser for Jabari Smith Jr? Pritchard, Hauser & a first?

Minnesota would be a great fit for Pritchard. They need a solid ball-handler alongside Ant. They need a top shooter alongside Ant. Pritchard fits the bill. Minnesota have enough defense elsewhere to protect Pritchard.

Now, what does Minnesota have to offer? Terrence Shannon? Try for a sign and trade for Dosunmu? Naz Reid is likely to valuable for them to give up. They like that Randle, Gobert, Naz 3 player big man rotation. McDaniels is too valuable. Could we get both Terrence Shannon & Joan Beringer? Probably. Plus it is more a rebuilding trade. How close is Shannon to being a quality 6th man? Not sure. I can't tell. He hasn't played enough.

Toronto have Quickley. Probably not a trade there to be had. Quickley is a tall PG at 6-4. A better fit for their switching defense. Quickley earns $32mil which makes matching contracts hard for BOS. Pritchard as a bench guard behind Quickley. Not sure what TOR has to offer. Ja'Kobe Walter? Poeltl? They can't give him away. Is there a larger trade to be made for one of their star wings like RJ Barrett? Probably not. I don't see TOR in the mix.

[Goldstar88]

Trading one of the most team friendly contracts in the NBA doesn?t seem like a good strategy. Pritchard is worth 3 times what they are paying him and he doesn?t mind coming off the bench as a 6th man. Not someone I would want to trade.

[jambr380]

Who really putting in the work lately with the responses.

I don't think the goal is to trade Pritchard this summer, as his contract is so valuable. But I do think there's a chance if faced with paying him over $22M/yr. That's just a much different contract than he has now and, even though it might be fair, it might not be our best use of resources.

You provided a really good breakdown of teams for which teams Pritchard might be valuable. I agree that Minnesota would make a lot of sense from a starting guard perspective, but also think that Pritchard's role now as a 3rd guard who eats lots of minutes would also be enticing for a lot of teams. That opens up a whole host of options.

Btw, I love the Dominique comparison of Brown in the other thread. Nique was my 2nd favorite player growing up (next to Bird). That seems more apt than Xavier McDaniel

[Celtics2021]

So people need to understand what Pritchard will be offered.  It is a 3-year extension that starts in the 2028-2029 season.  It is also the most we can offer him in an extension, and he might turn it down.  (He can get a longer extension offer at a higher AAV next summer).  So this year and next year, he remains one of the most valuable contracts in the NBA.  Beyond that, he is likely still underpaid for his value, but it is closer to aligned.

[Vermont Green]

I don't see Pritchard being traded whether he accepts this extension or not.  It is simply due diligence for BOS to offer him this.  Pritchard can take it and lock in a lot of money or wait and maybe get even more money.  It is hard to say what the going rate for a player like Pritchard will be in 2028.  If Pritchard does not take the money now, he risks injury.

Pritchard is 28, will be 33 in 5 years at the end of this possible extension.

[Celtics4ever]

Trading one of the most team friendly contracts in the NBA doesn?t seem like a good strategy. Pritchard is worth 3 times what they are paying him and he doesn?t mind coming off the bench as a 6th man. Not someone I would want to trade.

I agree with this line of thought.  Ride out the contract and do him a solid and trade him to Portland once it expires for a sign and trade?

[jambr380]

Trading one of the most team friendly contracts in the NBA doesn?t seem like a good strategy. Pritchard is worth 3 times what they are paying him and he doesn?t mind coming off the bench as a 6th man. Not someone I would want to trade.

I agree with this line of thought.  Ride out the contract and do him a solid and trade him to Portland once it expires for a sign and trade?

I think the worry here is that he will think you aren't doing him a solid if he is eligible for an extension and doesn't get one. The report above seems to indicate that the Celtics will absolutely be offering him this extension. Have to make sure it will be tradeable if you are going to lock in that amount.

[Celtics2021]

Trading one of the most team friendly contracts in the NBA doesn?t seem like a good strategy. Pritchard is worth 3 times what they are paying him and he doesn?t mind coming off the bench as a 6th man. Not someone I would want to trade.

I agree with this line of thought.  Ride out the contract and do him a solid and trade him to Portland once it expires for a sign and trade?

I think the worry here is that he will think you aren't doing him a solid if he is eligible for an extension and doesn't get one. The report above seems to indicate that the Celtics will absolutely be offering him this extension. Have to make sure it will be tradeable if you are going to lock in that amount.

It will be tradeable.  His year 1 salary would be the 87th most expensive salary next year (so far, much more likely to end up near 95 after free agency), and by the time it could take effect, it would not be in the top 100.  And when it does take effect it seems like there will conveniently be an expansion draft, so if the Celtics do have buyers remorse, it feels likely they could leave him exposed and he would be selected.

[Vermont Green]

It will be tradeable. His year 1 salary would be the 87th most expensive salary next year (so far, much more likely to end up near 95 after free agency), and by the time it could take effect, it would not be in the top 100.  And when it does take effect it seems like there will conveniently be an expansion draft, so if the Celtics do have buyers remorse, it feels likely they could leave him exposed and he would be selected.

Hard to know but there are in theory 150 starters in the NBA.  Pritchard would be a starter on many teams and at worst, a high end 6th man on better teams.  Pritchard has been durable and consistent.  And he appears to still be improving.  The impact of the CBA aprons is changing things in terms of how much teams can pay these "middle class" players.  At worst, maybe Pritchard at $22M or whatever is a little over market value for a fringe starter/high end 6th man.  I see some risk there.  But I don't see this as becoming a bad contract or a contract that hamstrings a team (BOS) to impact overall roster construction or anything like that.

[jambr380]

I don't think we can really make an assessment until after FA. And luckily we'll have that luxury since Pritchard isn't eligible to sign that extension until October.

There are a lot of Pritchard-like players available this FA and it remains to be seen how much they'll be paid. As I said before, I wouldn't be surprised if we hedge our bets and try to lock down one of those guards, like: Simons, Sexton, Coby White, even Grimes at the MLE.

If all of those guys easily clear the MLE, then I will say that Pritchard is good value at $22M/yr, but if those guys are struggling to get paid because smaller scoring guards are becoming less important, then I would hesitate to extend him.

And if we do lock in one of those guards, I would still gauge Pritchard's value since he will be less important for our team specifically moving forward. I'm a Pritchard fan and hope he remains a Celtic for a long time, but I'm sure the teams that signed guards like Poole, Quickley, and Simons to big deals haven't exactly been happy with their investment.

[Celtics2021]

I don't think we can really make an assessment until after FA. And luckily we'll have that luxury since Pritchard isn't eligible to sign that extension until October.

There are a lot of Pritchard-like players available this FA and it remains to be seen how much they'll be paid. As I said before, I wouldn't be surprised if we hedge our bets and try to lock down one of those guards, like: Simons, Sexton, Coby White, even Grimes at the MLE.

If all of those guys easily clear the MLE, then I will say that Pritchard is good value at $22M/yr, but if those guys are struggling to get paid because smaller scoring guards are becoming less important, then I would hesitate to extend him.

And if we do lock in one of those guards, I would still gauge Pritchard's value since he will be less important for our team specifically moving forward. I'm a Pritchard fan and hope he remains a Celtic for a long time, but I'm sure the teams that signed guards like Poole, Quickley, and Simons to big deals haven't exactly been happy with their investment.

Pritchard is definitely more valuable than Simons, Sexton, and Grimes.  White is closer - he fit great in Charlotte.  White is also likely getting a salary much more in line with a possible Pritchard extension than those other three.  Part of his value at the trade deadline was his Bird rights, because he figured to command more than the MLE.