The Celtics got a key extension done and it’s looking like another great value for Brad Stevens’ front office. Boston has inked Payton Pritchard to a two-year extension worth $44.2 million, per ESPN’s Shams Charania, to lock him in through the 2029-30 season. The final year of the contract is a mutual option, per Charania.
Pritchard was extension eligible starting Oct. 1 and the two sides were able to come to a deal. He signs for the maximum eligible amount as the extension will kick in starting with the 2028-29 season. It’s another stellar contract for the front office after Pritchard was already viewed as one of the best contracts in the league over the past few years.
Pritchard is set to make $7.8 million this upcoming season then $8.3 million in 2027-28 season. That was part of the first extension he signed with the Celtics — a four-year, $30 million contract back in the fall of 2023. Now, Pritchard was able to cash in a big payday and locks him in Boston through at least the next three seasons.
- BETTING: The Celtics are listed at +567 to win the Eastern Conference Finals during the upcoming season on Polymarket. Also, visit our guide to the best Massachusetts sportsbooks to shop for odds.
While Pritchard was blocked by veteran guards early in his career, he’s blossomed into a key member of the Celtics for the past couple seasons. He was the 2024-25 NBA Sixth Man of the Year, enjoying a breakout season. Pritchard then followed that up with an even better campaign last year, averaging career-highs across the board with 17.0 points, 3.9 rebounds and 5.2 assists in 79 games (50 starts).
Pritchard was set to be under team control for the next two seasons, but locking him into an extension looks like a solid deal for both sides. Even at roughly a $22.1 million salary, that’s a great value for Pritchard. He’s a hard worker and has been a member of Boston’s core this decade. The new extension gets him plenty of cash, plus some flexibility to exercise the mutual option should he choose to go that route.
Pritchard is set to have a large role on this team even if he’s starting or not. While he was a starter for the majority of last season, he went back to a bench role following the Anfernee Simons trade. Pritchard has said on multiple occasions he doesn’t care if he starts or not as long as he’s closing games, which should be the case once again for the Celtics this season.
More Celtics content
Read the original article on MassLive. Add MassLive as a Preferred Source by clicking here.