Celtics, Payton Pritchard agree to two-year extension

Payton Pritchard took on a bigger job last season. The Celtics are giving him a bigger payday to go with it.

Boston and Pritchard have agreed to a two-year, $44.2 million extension, according to ESPN. The deal includes one guaranteed season and a mutual option for 2029-30.

Pritchard, 28, is coming off the best season of his career, averaging 17.0 points, 5.2 assists and 3.9 rebounds while shooting 37.7 percent from beyond the arc. He started 50 of his 79 appearances after making just 17 starts across his first five NBA seasons.

The Celtics needed more from him after trading Jrue Holiday to Portland and losing Jayson Tatum for most of the season to an Achilles injury. Pritchard delivered, averaging a career-high 32.4 minutes.

That followed a championship in 2024 and Sixth Man of the Year honors in 2025. He’s put together a pretty good stretch.

The raise won’t kick in immediately. Pritchard still has two seasons remaining on the four-year, $30 million extension he signed in 2023, with salaries of approximately $7.77 million this season and $8.3 million in 2027-28.

The new agreement begins in 2028-29. Until then, Boston gets two more seasons of a 17-point scorer at a salary well below what it just agreed to pay him.