Rising Boston Celtics lifer ‘won’t dwell’ on trade of reigning Sixth Man of the Year
Rising Boston Celtics guard Payton Pritchard, whose Cs tenure will extend beyond his rookie-scale deal on a four-year extension worth $32 million, “won’t dwell” on the loss of Malcolm Brogdon via the Jrue Holiday trade this offseason according to NESN’s Adam London.
“Time will tell if the Celtics come to regret spoiling their relationship with Brogdon,” London said of the reported issues between Boston and Brogdon. “But one person who surely won’t dwell on it is Payton Pritchard, Boston’s new top reserve guard who reportedly landed a nice contract extension Sunday.”
Brogdon was reportedly angry about what he felt was a miscommunication with the organization regarding his injury, the original trade proposal that would’ve sent him to the Los Angeles Clippers and kept Marcus Smart while still landing Kristaps Porzingis, and the fact that Joe Mazzulla wasn’t going to start him in 2023-24 even with Smart gone. From the sounds of it, Brogdon wasn’t going to suit up for the Cs had he not been dealt.
Boston Celtics may still start Derrick White at point guard after Jrue Holiday trade
Brogdon shouldn’t take not starting personally, since even Holiday, an All-NBA Defender, might not get the start at the 1. White started during the C’s lone preseason game through their first three that had a full lineup, and Mazzulla may not be sold on re-shuffling his projected starting five after going through an offseason of believing he’d have a big White-Jaylen Brown-Jayson Tatum-Al Horford-Porzingis quintet.
With Holiday entering his mid-thirties, a shift to the bench may be the best move for his long-term viability. And a long-term future in Boston is very possible if this Celtics core can a championship together. Don’t rule out the possibility that Pritchard is starting floor general material soon either.
Ultimately, the Celtics are run like a business, and Brogdon didn’t want to acquiesce. Which is fine. At least there wasn’t a public falling out like most trade requests; Pritchard’s ahead of the 2023 trade deadline notwithstanding.