For many, the Boston Celtics entered a reconstruction phase following the 2025 NBA season, which featured an injured Jayson Tatum and multiple moves that dismantled the championship squad. However, one player who remained and capitalized on his opportunities is Payton Pritchard, who could now receive a contract extension.
With two years left on his four-year, $30 million contract, Pritchard is in line for a hefty contract extension, according to the Boston Globe’s Gary Washburn. “If you look at the salaries, Payton is next in line, and I think he’s one of the league’s bigger bargains,” Washburn said.
“He’s making $7.7 [million] this year, $8.3 [million] in 27-28. He’s due an extension that’s going to be about $22 million a year. And I think it could be what he decides to produce this year, but I also think he has shown enough where you do give him that $22 million per year. That’s still, in today’s NBA, a very tradable contract.”
The Celtics will not regret the move
Pritchard is a player who won the Sixth Man of the Year award and earned a starting role in Tatum’s absence, serving as the second option alongside Jaylen Brown as they led the franchise to the playoffs when many had written them off from even reaching the postseason.
Payton Pritchard #11 of the Boston Celtics.
“That’s not a contract that I don’t think the Celtics at all will regret. That rewards Payton for his hard work. For overpaying his contract, we all know he’s one of the league’s biggest bargains. That’s the Celtics kind of giving him a nice payday on the backside after this contract is up. And I think he deserves it,” Washburn added.
After winning the Sixth Man of the Year award in 2025, Pritchard averaged career-bests in points (17.0), assists (5.7), and rebounds (3.9) per game in 2026-27—numbers that highlight the kind of player he has become.
Financial flexibility under strict salary cap rules
While a $22 million average annual value represents a steep increase from Pritchard’s current four-year, $30 million contract, it offers strong value under current NBA salary cap structures. Occupying under 10% of the team’s projected cap when activated for the 2028–29 season, the contract provides Boston with significant roster flexibility.
Front-office decision-makers see the deal as a high-value agreement that retains top-tier perimeter production without suffocating flexibility under the modern collective bargaining agreement.
