Payton Pritchard Says He Was Hoping for Trade from Celtics at NBA Deadline

Boston Celtics guard Payton Pritchard wanted a move away from the best team in the NBA at the Feb. 9 trade deadline, he admitted in an interview with Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe.

"I definitely was expecting and hoping [for a trade]," Pritchard said. "But you know, I [have to] look at the good things. We're the best team in the NBA right now, and we have a great team with really great players, so for me it's an opportunity to learn and to keep growing."

The Celtics offered Pritchard and Danilo Gallinari to the Spurs in exchange for Jakob Poeltl, per Washburn, but San Antonio ultimately traded the big man to the Toronto Raptors ahead of Thursday's deadline.

"It was an emotional day, but you know I'm here and I quickly changed my mind and I'm here to do a job to the best of my ability," Pritchard said. "For me, my mindset is just come in every day and keep getting better. The only thing I can do is focus on that."

Boston selected Pritchard in the first round of the 2020 draft out of Oregon, and his playing time has dipped drastically from his rookie season.

During the 2020-21 season, Pritchard averaged 7.7 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 66 games while shooting 44.0 percent from the floor and 41.1 percent from deep in 19.2 minutes per night.

The 25-year-old has appeared in just 40 games for the Celtics this season, averaging 4.7 points, 1.5 rebounds and 1.1 assists while shooting 40.0 percent from the floor and 33.0 percent from beyond the arc in 12.6 minutes per night.

Aside from getting limited minutes, Pritchard has sat out 15 games this year as a coach's decision.

Boston's trade for Malcolm Brogdon during the offseason almost surely had an impact on Pritchard's minutes, and rightfully so.

Brogdon is a proven veteran who was a starter in each of his first six NBA seasons, and he's now serving in a sixth-man role for the Celtics, averaging 14.3 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.7 assists in 48 games while shooting 47.6 percent from the floor and 45.2 percent from deep in 24.9 minutes per night.

While Pritchard appears to be disappointed with his lack of playing time, it's possible he'll have to continue to deal with it into the 2023-24 campaign and beyond as Boston already exercised his $4 million club option for next season.

Pritchard will also become a restricted free agent after next season, and the Celtics can extend him a $5.9 million qualifying offer in order to match any offer he might receive in the summer of 2024.

For now, Pritchard is going to have to embrace his depth role for Boston, which has major championship aspirations after falling short of the ultimate goal last season. The C's currently sit first in the Eastern Conference with a 40-16 record.