**Payton Pritchard** and the Boston Celtics got an extension done ahead of the Oct. 19 deadline, agreeing to a two-year, $44.2 million deal with a mutual option for the second season, according to _ESPN_.
Both sides found a middle ground between the maximum three-year, $69 million contract that could have placed Pritchard below his market value into next decade before he steps into a significantly larger role in Boston’s offense next year. However, with two-years, $16.1 million remaining on his current contract, he had a long way to go until free agency without the ability to secure significant guaranteed money going forward.
Pritchard could have waited to secure as much as four-years, $100 million beginning next July, but opted to take a fully guaranteed year of a 140% raise over the league average salary for 2029. Then, he and his agent can negotiate another extension from that higher number or opt-out and enter free agency. The mutual option, long dormant in the NBA CBA before this summer, also gives the Celtics an out if they need it.
Barring injury or other significant developments in the meantime, Boston shouldn’t. While not the heist his last extension became, four-years, $30 million through the end of next season, before he emerged as the Sixth Man of the Year and one of the Celtics’ leading scorers, Pritchard’s contract carries a favorable cap number. Both years will amount to under 12% of the cap for a player who will almost certainly continue playing starter minutes by then, and fill one of the team’s top 4-5 scoring roles.
Pritchard finished second in scoring average on the team last year before **Jayson Tatum’s** return, and with **Jaylen Brown’s** departure, he’ll play the most significant role in making up for Brown’s lost scoring alongside **Derrick White** and **Paul George**. He focused on reaching the free throw line more often this season, and in tandem with White led Boston’s low turnover-rate offense with only 1.4 per game from him.
According to Steph Noh’s salary model, Pritchard produced at a $27.9 million level last year, despite making only $7.8 million.
“I don’t think it’s gonna be on one particular person,” Pritchard said on media day. “I’m not coming into this year and being like, Jaylen’s gone, it’s my turn. That’s not at all what the mindset is. It’s every one of us has to take a jump, get a little bit better.”