​Paul George #13 of the Boston Celtics GettyOK, the NBA trade rumor mill never really sleeps, though it naps once in a while. But the Celtics are active, so let’s get into it … The Celtics made news on Tuesday by agreeing to a unique contract extension for Payton Pritchard, one that addresses the fact that he has been massively underpaid on his current contract (four years, $30 million) that won’t run up until the summer of 2028, and that allows him and the team to correct that before he signs another long-term, lucrative deal. It’s a two-year, $44 million deal that pays him $21 million in 2028-29 with a rare mutual option the following year. Unless Pritchard loses a leg sailing the high seas in the next three years, it is all but certain that option will in force, and Pritchard will be able to sign a contract worth something closer to his actual value, in the $28-30 million per year range. The only issue for him may be that he will be 31 then, which could limit the length of the contract the Celtics might offer. Pritchard will also be difficult to trade going forward because of base-year compensation rules, but the Celtics were never considering moving him, anyway.Beyond that, the Celtics feel very good about where their contracts stand following two years of upheaval to realign payroll. They have 11 players under contract for the 2027-28 season at $162 million, which would give them a small slice of cap space. The Celtics should be set up with tradeable contracts and plenty of draft capital, but they’re not expected to weigh spending that capital this season–look to next summer and next year for that. But what they’ve done this summer has put the in position.The big question is still Paul George. He has a $56.5 million player option for that season, and if he opts in, the Celtics would go right back over the luxury tax. The preference would be for him to stay healthy, play well and take a longer-term deal at less money. Of course, if he does opt in, he could be a prime piece of trade bait as an expiring contract, so it could be a win either way for Boston. 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 tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/EnAOhZIj5E— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) October 13, 2026Thunder Look Prepared to Keep StarsThe Oklahoma City Thunder remain a team of interest with the second apron, a big tax bill and a Cason Wallace extension looming. There has been, naturally, a conversation about how the team will handle the impending doom of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s supermax (which kicks in after this season), plus big deals for Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams that are on the books already. The payout will be four years and $200 million each for those two players. That’s led to speculation that either Holmgren or Williams will need to be dealt. But the Thunder made plai