Boston Celtics shopping Payton Pritchard plus salary filler package hunting for a big as expected

Payton Pritchard, by virtue of his current spot at the bottom of the Boston Celtics backcourt depth and his recent comments indicating that he wants a bigger role, is being shopped along with Danilo Gallinari for a big man on the open market.

In particular, the C’s top target on the trade market, San Antonio Spurs starting center Jakob Poeltl, and Orlando Magic reserve big Mo Bamba, are on the front office’s radar ahead of 4 pm on February 9.

Jake Fischer of Yahoo reported such intel on February 8 roughly 24 hours before the deadline passes:

The Boston Celtics are going all in at the 2023 NBA trade deadline

With the Celtics front office now known to be pursuing a player of Poeltl’s caliber, it’s clear that Wyc Grousbeck’s edict to win the 2023 Larry O’Brien trophy has been understood by Brad Stevens and co.

While the possible ramifications of Boston’s transactional aggression could be felt in the offseason when another team throws a massive offer for the Spurs center in free agency, the title window is open and that’s not an indefinite reality. Now is the time to move the chips to the middle of the table.

If the Cs are talking with San Antonio about Poeltl, one thing is clear: the team is willing to part with multiple draft picks to get the right fit. Right now, the right fit is focusing on the wing and on the block. The guard positions are more than filled even with Pritchard’s seemingly inevitable departure.

How further Stevens is willing to go depends on how negotiations with Grant Williams are going. It’d make sense to beef up any potential offer with the fourth-year former first-round pick if he plans on being paid more than what makes sense for the Celtics.