The Boston Celtics, once the NBA’s gold standard with their 2024 championship run, have been forced to tear apart their storied roster. The league’s punishing “second apron” payroll threshold, with its brutal restrictions on player movement and draft picks, has left Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens with no choice but to dismantle the team that dominated just two seasons ago. The result? A gutted lineup, a sidelined superstar, and a bold bet on a $30 million guard to keep Boston’s championship hopes alive.
To dodge the second apron’s crippling financial penalties, the Celtics made seismic moves that shocked the NBA. Fan-favorite center Kristaps Porzingis and defensive stalwart Jrue Holiday were traded away, while free agent center Luke Kornet was allowed to walk. Veteran power forward Al Horford, now 39, remains unsigned and is rumored to be eyeing a move to the Golden State Warriors. The biggest blow, however, is the loss of four-time All-NBA star Jayson Tatum, who is expected to miss most—if not all—of the 2025-2026 season with a torn Achilles tendon.
Yet, amid the wreckage, a glimmer of hope remains in Boston. The Celtics are banking on a new leader to rise from the ashes of their championship core, and his name is Payton Pritchard.
Drafted 26th overall out of Oregon in 2020, the 27-year-old Pritchard has quietly become one of the league’s most electrifying bench players. Last season, he not only claimed the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year Award but also etched his name in the record books. On March 16, 2025, Pritchard sank his 219th three-pointer off the bench, surpassing Wayne Ellington’s 2017-2018 mark of 218. By season’s end, Pritchard had shattered the record with a staggering 246 triples off the bench, adding nine more in the three games he started for a total of 255.
His sharpshooting and relentless energy made him a fan favorite, but his days as a reserve are over. According to a Thursday report by Grant Afseth of Fast Break Journal, the Celtics are poised to elevate Pritchard to the starting lineup for the 2025-2026 season, a move that signals a new era for the franchise.
Pritchard, who signed a four-year, $30 million contract extension in 2023, will earn $7.8 million this season. He’s expected to team up with eight-year veteran Derrick White in the starting backcourt, with four-time All-Star Jaylen Brown stepping into the lead scoring role in Tatum’s absence. The Celtics also acquired Anfernee Simons, a 6-foot-3 guard who averaged 19.3 points per game last season with the Portland Trail Blazers, in the July 7 trade that sent Holiday to Portland. Simons, owed $27.7 million in the final year of his contract, could serve as a high-scoring sixth man—or be traded to keep Boston under the second apron.
At 6-foot-1 and 195 pounds, Pritchard may seem undersized for a starting point guard role, but his tenacity and clutch shooting have drawn comparisons to a Celtics legend.
Celtics writer Dan “Greenie” Greenberg of Barstool Sports sees parallels between Pritchard and another undersized guard who transformed Boston’s fortunes: Isaiah Thomas. In 2014-2015, the 5-foot-9 Thomas joined a rebuilding Celtics squad and averaged 24.7 points per game over three seasons, leading Boston to the playoffs each year and the Eastern Conference Finals in 2016-2017. Since Thomas’s arrival, the Celtics have been a perennial playoff contender, reaching the Eastern Finals six times and the NBA Finals twice, culminating in their 18th championship in 2024.
“Nearly 10 years later, it still never gets old,” Greenberg wrote, hinting that Pritchard could spark a similar resurgence. Like Thomas, Pritchard’s grit, scoring prowess, and ability to perform under pressure could redefine the Celtics’ identity.
With their championship core fractured and Tatum sidelined, the Celtics are rolling the dice on Pritchard to lead them through a transitional 2025-2026 season. His record-breaking shooting and newfound starting role make him a cornerstone of Boston’s rebuilt roster. But questions linger: Can Pritchard and White anchor the backcourt? Will Simons stay or be traded to ease the payroll? And can Jaylen Brown carry the scoring load without Tatum?