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Celtics Sign Pritchard to Two-Year, $44.2M Extension
Confirmed
In Short: Payton Pritchard has agreed to a two-year, $44.2 million contract extension with the Boston Celtics, with a mutual option for the 2029-30 season.
According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, Payton Pritchard has signed a two-year, $44.2 million contract extension with the Boston Celtics, which includes a mutual option for the 2029-30 season.
The deal is fully guaranteed for the 2028-29 season, with Pritchard set to earn $21.2 million. The second year of the deal, valued at nearly $23 million, is a mutual option.
Pritchard, who was selected 26th overall in the 2020 NBA Draft, has become a key player for the Celtics. He played a crucial role in Boston’s championship-winning 2023-24 season and earned Sixth Man of the Year honors in 2025.
The extension is described as a max contract, with Pritchard earning slightly more than he could have on a free-agent contract. The deal is structured to comply with the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), which limits the first-year salary to 140% of the league’s average salary.
Pritchard’s role with the Celtics is expected to continue to grow. He averaged career highs in points (17), assists (5.2), and rebounds (3.9) during the 2025-26 season, starting 50 games.
The extension locks Pritchard in for the long term, with the Celtics retooling their backcourt alongside Jayson Tatum, Derrick White, and Paul George.
Pritchard’s current deal pays him $7.8 million this season and $8.3 million next year. The new extension guarantees him around $85 million in NBA earnings through the first 10 seasons of his career.
The mutual option for the 2029-30 season means both Pritchard and the Celtics have the option to terminate the contract after the 2028-29 season.
Pritchard’s performance and contributions have been recognized, with Stephen Curry being the only player in NBA history to match or exceed Pritchard’s career marks for three-point percentage, three-point attempts per 75 possessions, and assists per 75 possessions.
The extension comes as Pritchard was not due to become an unrestricted free agent until the summer of 2028, and the deadline for signing an extension for players with two years left on their contract was approaching.
Pritchard’s decision to sign the extension ensures that he will remain a key part of the Celtics’ future plans, with the team looking to build on their championship success.
What this adds
The extension guarantees Pritchard $85 million in NBA earnings through the first 10 seasons of his career, highlighting the upward mobility in the NBA contractual market.
What's confirmed
- As reported Tuesday by Shams Charania, Pritchard has agreed to a two-year extension with the Celtics for $44.2 million, which for him qualifies as a max contract.
- Boston Celtics guard Payton Pritchard has agreed to a two-year, $44.2 million contract extension, plus a mutual option in the 2029-30 season, CAA co-head of basketball Austin Brown and agent Max Saidman told ESPN on Tuesday.
What's still developing
- Payton Pritchard is staying with the Boston Celtics for the long haul, and he's becoming quite a wealthy man in the process.
- The max value of Pritchard's deal is coincidentally right around 25% of the salary cap in the first year, which is the maximum he can make based on having only six years of service.
- The 26th pick of the 2020 NBA Draft who is a key member of the Celtics' 2024 title run and the 2025 Sixth Man of the Year winner, Pritchard is now locked long-term in Boston's future plans.
- Pritchard figures to play an important role in Boston again in 2026-27 with Brown no longer on the team after he was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers.
- Upward mobility in the NBA contractual market is pretty rare.
- Pritchard started 50 games last season, and his role figures to keep growing.
- He previously worked for Fightful, FIGHT SPORTS and Wrestling Inc. Time was winding down, and many wondered whether Payton Pritchard and the Celtics would agree on an extension before the season started.
- Pritchard played a supporting role during Boston's championship-winning 2023-24 season, providing scoring and energy off the bench as the Celtics captured their 18th NBA title.
- Nonetheless, Pritchard is coming up to the opening of decision-time on a new contract.
- Celtics fans should not fret–he is not going anywhere, and is signed for two more years at $16 million–but the question of what he will get paid when he is eligible for free agency in 2028 is very much in play.