B/R’s Boston Celtics trade proposal swaps Payton Pritchard for starting center
Recent comments made by Payton Pritchard about wanting an expanded role seem to signal that a move in one way or another is coming in the Boston Celtics. Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley came up with a mock trade that plays off that idea, swapping Pritchard, salary filler, and draft considerations for a starting center.
That center wouldn’t start on the Celtics, but he has started all 52 games he’s appeared in this season — which is the same amount of games his team has played in during the 2022-23 NBA season.
Charlotte Hornets center Mason Plumlee is the player in question, and Buckley believes he is worth the aforementioned price of a young guard with Finals experience, salary filler that more than likely certainly includes Danilo Gallinari’s dead money, and draft picks:
"“(Jakob Poeltl) is an excellent interior anchor, sure, but he’d be the third big man for the Celtics and needs a new deal this summer. The juice just won’t be worth the squeeze.”“Look for Boston to pursue a more cost-effective option such as Mason Plumlee, a 32-year-old on the rebuilding Charlotte Hornets. Pritchard, a second-rounder and salary-filler might be enough to get that deal done.”"
The Boston Celtics will not pay this price for Mason Plumlee
Trading Payton Pritchard away is perhaps the best chance for the Boston Celtics to find the proverbial missing piece in their quest to take the all-time lead in NBA championships as a franchise.
The Cs are simply not trading that chip away for an offensively limited center who is due for a new contract in the offseason. As solid and consistent Plumlee is, he doesn’t offer a different skillset from Robert Williams — which would be ideal for a low cost, but this isn’t worth pursuing for a team with limited other resources to improve.
More than likely, Pritchard will remain with the team beyond February 9, but an offseason trade over the summer is likely when the Oregon product’s time in Celtics green ends.