[Haberstroh] Payton Pritchard in 861 minutes without Jaylen Brown last year averaged 27 ppg with 8 assists per 75 on 61% TS. The Boston Celtics believe that he’s their in-house version of Jalen Brunson
The Celtics trading Brown is a bet that Pritchard is their in-house version of New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson, a diminutive player who didn’t fully show his talents until Luka Dončić was out of the picture. The splits on Pritchard without Brown are intriguing to say the least. (26.7 ppg per 75 possessions with 5.3 rebounds, 7.6 assists on 60.6% TS and 39.3% from 3 in 861 minutes)
In 10 games this season without Brown in uniform, Pritchard elevated his game to all-league levels. The 28-year-old averaged 25.2 points, 7 assists and 4.8 rebounds while shooting 51.3% on 2s and 44.4% on 3s. Notably, the Celtics went 8-2 in those games.
By moving off Brown, the Celtics aren’t saying they think Pritchard is the better player. They’re making the presumption that Pritchard is the better player relative to his contract.
In a league with a salary cap, the Celtics have to maximize their talent under the constraints of the collective-bargaining agreement. Brown is set to eat up about 35% of the cap in each of the next three seasons, earning \(57.1 million next season, \)61 million in 2027-28 and $65 million in 2028-29.
Meanwhile, Pritchard is signed at a bargain rate at \(7.8 million for 2026-27 and \)8.3 in 2027-28. It may be the single-best contract from a value standpoint in the entire league. In 2026-27, Brown will make more in one month than Pritchard will make during the entire season.