The Boston Celtics inked Payton Pritchard to a new deal earlier in the afternoon on Sunday before their first preseason game ahead of the 2023-24 season.

Pritchard agreed to a four-year, $30 million contract extension, earning him $7.5 million annually and he avoids restricted free agency next summer. This is an all around great deal for both Pritchard and the Celtics. 

“It’s only going to make me work harder, so the work only continues now… I kind of took a step away this summer, went back to work, cleared my mind and I came back, and you know, I love the city of Boston, I love this organization, and this is home to me.”

Pritchard’s postgame comments on his extension.

The Celtics drafted Pritchard 26th overall at the end of the first round in the 2020 NBA Draft. Entering his fourth year with Boston, he has career shooting splits of 43/40/89 and continues to carve a role for himself with this Celtics team.

It’s fair to say that after the offseason Boston had in trading away Marcus Smart and Malcolm Brogdon, the Celtics feel comfortable and confident in what Pritchard can offer them on the court.

He’s likely to be on the court more often than not this season as the third-string point guard behind Jrue Holiday and Derrick White.

It’s great that this deal got done before the start of the season. Especially for a guy like Pritchard who asked to be traded multiple times last season just so that he can play more elsewhere, even if that meant going to a lesser team.

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Photo Credit: Eric Canha, USA TODAY Sports