According to MassLive’s Brian Robb, Payton Pritchard is an “obvious” offseason trade candidate for the Boston Celtics. Robb revealed as much in his latest Celtics Mailbag while answering a reader’s question about what kind of player Boston should target with their MLE this offseason.
“For mid-level extension next year, I haven’t taken a long look at upcoming free agents just yet but I would prioritize finding a serviceable wing off the bench to take some of the minutes’ onus off Tatum/Brown in an 82-game grind,” Robb prefaced before saying, “A trade could also certainly been in order with Payton Pritchard being an obvious candidate given his situation.”
Pritchard previously told Andre Iguodala and Evan Turner on the Point Forward podcast that he had discussions with the Boston Celtics front office about receiving a trade so that he could have a bigger role going forward.
“We’ve had that discussion but — a bigger role,” Pritchard said. “I want to be part of a winning culture but I want to also help that, be a really big piece of that. I’m not saying it’s the best player on the team but I don’t know what my future holds unless I can take that next step. I don’t know what it is in five or 10 years but I just want to look back and know that I put my best foot forward. I put all the work in so whatever happens I can live with as long as I did it my way. That’s the most important thing for me.”
Offseason wing options for the Boston Celtics with the MLE
Many of the wing targets the Boston Celtics passed on at the 2023 trade deadline will be available in the offseason. That list includes Will Barton, who joined the Raptors, Terrence Ross, who signed with the Suns, and Danny Green, who returned to the team that drafted him, the Cavaliers.
Some younger options that the Cs front office should hope would go for the MLE include Josh Richardson, who Brad Stevens has previously traded for, Lonnie Walker IV, and Torrey Craig.