Report: Celtics guard Payton Pritchard to play for USA Select team

After a season the place his function with the Boston Celtics was tremendously diminished, Payton Pritchard is seeking to get some further basketball in through the offseason. Per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Pritchard can be becoming a member of the USA Choose Crew in Las Vegas the place they’ll prepare and scrimmage in opposition to the Crew USA roster. This comes forward of the 2023 FIBA World Cup kicking off within the Philippines, with Crew USA taking over New Zealand on August twenty sixth, 8:40 am EST.

Pritchard, 25, is getting into the ultimate 12 months of his rookie scale contract and can hit unrestricted free company subsequent offseason. After taking part in a key bench function through the Celtics 2022 NBA Finals run, the previous Oregon Duck noticed his minutes take a dive with the addition of Malcolm Brogdon and a brand new head coach in Joe Mazzulla. The adjustments over the season led to frustration for Pritchard, and shortly sufficient rumblings of his need to be traded got here to the floor.

Initially, rumors emerged close to the NBA trade deadline this previous season regarding Pritchard’s unhappiness in his function, and his desire for a trade resurfaced as lately as June 1st. The Suns had been reportedly excited by his providers, and close to the 2023 NBA Draft, the Utah Jazz had been a workforce linked to the sharpshooter earlier than Boston pulled off a number of trades and moved again into the second spherical to take Summer season League standout Jordan Walsh.

A substantial amount of Pritchard’s discontent was well-warranted, as he shortly plummeted to the underside of the guard depth chart behind Marcus Good, Derrick White, and Malcolm Brogdon. That sort of scenario was unavoidable if you purchase that a lot pure expertise at one place; with out trotting out a LOT of three guard lineups, there was no method to organically produce sufficient minutes to maintain 4 guys who play the identical place joyful.

Nonetheless, the scenario could also be very completely different in Boston following the Kristaps Porzingis commerce, with Marcus Good now seeking to be Tony Allen 2.0 in Memphis and clearing up minutes within the backcourt. Boston has performed their finest to fix fences with Malcolm Brogdon after nearly buying and selling him, and the most recent report from Heavy’s Steve Bulpett said the Celtics have no real interest in dealing him. It very effectively could also be posturing, however with no Marcus Good within the fold, the Celtics shouldn’t be desirous to additional dismantle their backcourt except it brings in a clear-cut improve.

Whether or not or not Brogdon is staying in Boston, there’s now a window of alternative for Pritchard to get a foothold and vault again into the Celtics bench rotation. Pritchard becoming a member of up with the USA Choose Crew could also be indicative of the place his thoughts is at as he approaches a bounce-back season in Yr 4.