One Celtics player admits he wanted to be traded

One Boston Celtics player is keeping it real after the trade deadline.

Celtics guard Payton Pritchard spoke to Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe over the weekend and admitted that he was hoping for a move out of Boston.

“I definitely was expecting and hoping [for a trade],” Pritchard said. “But you know, I [gotta] look at the good things. We’re the best team in the NBA right now and we have a great team with really great players, so for me it’s an opportunity to learn and to keep growing.

“It’s tough because as a competitor, you want to play,” he added. “Everybody knows right now [that] I haven’t been playing. As a competitor, that is the tough part. But like I said, I don’t have control over where I go [or] where I play right now. My focus has to be on helping the team in any way I can.”

The 25-year-old was a steady rotation piece for the Celtics during their Finals run last year, making 71 appearances in the regular season and playing in all 24 of their playoff games. But with the addition of Malcolm Brogdon this past summer, there is no longer much playing time available for Pritchard when any two of Brogdon, Marcus Smart and Derrick White are healthy (and certainly not when all three are). As a result, Pritchard is averaging career lows of 4.9 points in 12.7 minutes per game this season.

Pritchard is still under contract with the Celtics for the 2023-24 season and is actually eligible for a rookie extension in the summer. But Pritchard had already expressed unhappiness just a few weeks ago, so Boston may again explore the possibility of moving him after the season.