6 Players the Celtics may replace Payton Pritchard with by the trade deadline

The Boston Celtics are all-in on winning the championship. They have the best record in the NBA after creating the best top six in the world. Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday have helped the Celtics reach a new level, but do they have enough depth to win it all?

Boston will need at least eight in their playoff rotation. Sam Hauser has turned into an elite shooter to be their seventh, but do the Celtics trust Payton Pritchard to stick in the postseason? The 6’1 guard played 12.9 minutes per game during Boston’s run to the NBA Finals in 2022 but wasn’t part of the nightly playoff rotation in 2023.

The Celtics have a top-heavy roster and trading won’t be easy. Pritchard is their seventh-highest-paid player and earns just $4.0 million this season. Boston is all-in and will look to upgrade before the trade deadline, but they will have to go for someone making $10 million or less. Even that would mean trading Pritchard, but here are a few replacements Brad Stevens and the Celtics should explore.

6. Cedi Osman

The Celtics have plenty of star power. They need a role player, who is comfortable complementing their current talent. Someone who makes the extra pass, spaces the floor, and defends. Boston could use a bit of size to give them more lineup flexibility.

Osman is a 6’7 forward who figures to be available before the Feb. 8 trade deadline. The Spurs have the second-worst record in the NBA, and Osman is on a $6.7 million expiring contract.

His stats won’t blow fans away, but he averages 7.3 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 1.8 assists in 18.1 minutes per game. The 28-year-old is a career 35.3 percent 3-point shooter and played 18.6 minutes per game for the Cavaliers in the playoffs last year.

The combo forward would offer the Celtics some versatility and flexibility. He won’t command the ball and is comfortable playing any role asked of him, which is exactly what the Celtics need to round out their roster.