Boston Celtics player No. 2) Payton Pritchard
Every time the concept of seeing Payton Pritchard being sent out of Boston is broached, we at HH tend to feel a bit queasy, as he’s become a true fan favorite amongst both us and the C’s faithful followers over his two-year stint with the franchise.
That said, sadly, as the days go by we can’t help but feel that such a move may be inevitable.
As we mentioned earlier, recent reports have surfaced stating that Boston may be open to the possibility of parting ways with Grant Williams and one other player this offseason.
Pritchard is that other player.
Now, the reason for his inclusion on this list is not due to lacking production or anything of this nature like the previous player but, instead, it’s due to the fact that they shelled out a first-round pick to land Derrick White at this year’s deadline to serve as the team’s high-usage backup point guard, and, in theory, the team could find benefits in shopping the 24-year-old in an effort to better fill out other areas in need of bolstering.
A player who plays the most important position in the game and who is still on his rookie deal through 2025, many rebuilding franchises could be quite interested in dealing for someone of Pritchard’s ilk, especially those with veterans on the block.
Proving himself to be an energizer bunny type of talent for Boston, the sophomore has become quite an effective contributor throughout his tenure with the team, boasting averages of 15.5 points, 4.7 boards, and 4.2 assists per 75 possessions on 41 percent shooting from deep.
After this past Finals appearance, it’s apparent that the shamrocks could use plenty of help in various areas on their roster, and, in order for them to get the tools needed to fill in the blanks, they may have to be willing to swap Payton Pritchard out in order to make way for someone else at another position (most likely a wing) to take on his spot on the roster.