Payton Pritchard acknowledged the difficulty of losing Jaylen Brown but said the Boston Celtics are prepared to move forward after the franchise traded its longtime star to the Philadelphia 76ers.
“You just used to seeing big things and think changes happen all the time,” Pritchard said, via HoopsHype. “It always sucks to see a brother and a teammate that you played with for a long time go, but you move on and you are ready to go to war.”
Brown’s departure ended a 10-year run in Boston and broke up the Celtics’ championship-era partnership between Brown and Jayson Tatum. The 29-year-old forward was traded to Philadelphia on July 6, with Boston receiving Paul George and future draft compensation.
Pritchard and Brown were teammates for six seasons after Pritchard entered the NBA in 2020. Their final season together was Brown’s most productive statistically, as he averaged 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds and 5.1 assists in 71 games while shooting 47.7% from the field.
Brown’s 28.7 points per game ranked first on the Celtics, while his 5.1 assists represented a career high. He finished sixth in MVP voting, made the All-Star team and earned All-NBA Second Team honors despite Boston’s season ending with a seven-game first-round loss to Philadelphia.
The Celtics still finished 56-26 and second in the Eastern Conference during the regular season. Pritchard played a major role in that record, appearing in 79 games and making 50 starts while averaging 17.0 points, 5.2 assists and 3.9 rebounds.
His expanded offensive role also came with efficient shooting. Pritchard posted a 46.4% field-goal percentage and made 37.7% of his 7.1 three-point attempts per game, giving Boston another high-volume perimeter option alongside Brown, Tatum and Derrick White.
The 2026 offseason has nevertheless reshaped the Celtics around Tatum. Along with acquiring George in the Brown trade, Boston added Mitchell Robinson and Mike Conley, while retaining key contributors including Neemias Queta and Jordan Walsh.
