A Western Conference contender is reportedly a fan of Payton Pritchard as trade rumors surround Celtics guard

Pritchard expressed a desire to be traded during the season after falling out of the Celtics' rotation.

Payton Pritchard expressed a desire to be traded during the season. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond)

June 11, 2023

2 minutes to read

If the Celtics honor the trade request Payton Pritchard made prior to the trade deadline this past season, it appears they’ll have some possible partners to get a deal done.

There are “several supporters” of Pritchard within the Phoenix Suns’ organization, Yahoo! Sports’ Jake Fischer reported.

“[Pritchard] is expected to feature prominently in the NBA’s general trade landscape this summer,” Fischer wrote on Pritchard’s possible trade market this offseason.

Pritchard figures to be one of the handful of trade pieces the Celtics will have this offseason to try to improve their roster after falling in the Eastern Conference finals to the Heat.

The 2020 first-round pick showed promise during the 2021-22 season. He scored 6.2 points per game and made 41.2 percent of his 3-pointers during that season. He was also a mainstay in the Celtics’ rotation when they made their second-half turnaround, scoring nearly 10 points per game off the bench on efficient shooting following the All-Star break. He remained in the rotation through the Celtics’ run to the NBA Finals.

Despite taking a step forward in Year 2, Pritchard lost his spot in the Celtics’ regular rotation this past season after the team traded for Malcolm Brogdon. Following the trade deadline in February, Pritchard told The Boston Globe’s Gary Washburn that he hoped to be moved in order for a chance to receive more playing time.

Pritchard ended up scoring 5.6 points per game while appearing in 48 games this past season.

Shortly after the Celtics’ playoff loss to the Heat, The Athletic reported that Pritchard has “made it clear” he’d like to be traded this offseason.

“We don’t know how that’s all going to shake itself out, moving forward, and so I’m a big Payton fan, I believe in him,” Celtics president Brad Stevens told reporters earlier in June when asked about Pritchard’s situation. “And everybody here does, and we’ll see how everything shakes itself out. Again, he’s a good player.”

Pritchard would figure to have some sort of role with the Suns if he were traded to Phoenix. The Suns are reportedly weighing the option of waiving point guard Chris Paul in the coming weeks in order to save cap space, which would help them open up salary.

But the Suns don’t have many players under contract for next season. Phoenix currently has six players, including Paul, under contract for the 2023-24 season. Four of those players are making at least $10 million per season, which could make a trade involving Pritchard a bit difficult because the Celtics can’t take in much more salary than the roughly $4 million they would be sending out by trading just Pritchard.