Boston Celtics superfan Bill Simmons suggested the reigning Sixth Man of the Year for a Western Conference contender. The 2025-26 NBA season hasn’t started, but the Houston Rockets have already encountered a significant setback. Starting point guard Fred VanVleet suffered a torn ACL, which will likely rule him out of the entire campaign.
This has created a dilemma for the Rockets, a team that’s expected to contend for the NBA title, following their eventful summer. During the offseason, they acquired veteran star Kevin Durant from the Phoenix Suns in a seven-team trade. After securing the two-time champion, Houston immediately became one of the candidates to win the championship.
Without a reliable starting point guard, however, that could be difficult for the Rockets. Experts began to make recommendations for whom the West club could approach as a potential replacement while VanVleet recovers.
Simmons named five players whom the Rockets could potentially target in a trade scenario. One of the names he mentioned was Payton Pritchard, last season’s winner of the Sixth Man of the Year.
“Payton Pritchard,” Simmons said. “I think that’s the first one out of the names, as I kind of escalate up the ladder, where you go, ‘Yeah, that’s a guy that could actually play in a series against OKC and Minnesota,’ right?”
What trades should the Rockets make now after losing Fred VanVleet? pic.twitter.com/E3Ik3LwwAk
— The Ringer (@ringer) September 24, 2025
Other players Simmons mentioned were Ayo Dosunmu (Chicago Bulls), Jose Alvarado (New Orleans Pelicans), Scotty Pippen Jr. (Memphis Grizzlies) and TJ McConnell (Indiana Pacers).
There isn’t much to speculate about Pritchard’s future with the Boston Celtics. He’s still on a four-year, $30 million deal and will likely have enough playing time next season. During the offseason, the Celtics traded veteran All-Star Jrue Holiday to the Portland Trail Blazers for Anfernee Simons. The 26-year-old guard has been part of several trade rumors since Boston acquired him via trade.
Pritchard is expected to step up for the Boston Celtics next season
The Boston Celtics are likely giving Pritchard the keys to run the offense next season. The team will be without their star player, Jayson Tatum, who’s recovering from an Achilles tendon tear and is predicted to miss the entire campaign.
Next season will be open for the Celtics players to step up and be the Robin to Jaylen Brown’s Batman. Given the current situation, the 6-foot-1 guard appears to be a viable candidate. Pritchard is a high bet to have a significant impact on Boston next season.
“Last season, Pritchard averaged 19 points, 5.3 assists, and five rebounds over 10 games played without Tatum. He was at 16.4 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game in 19 contests without Jaylen Brown,” NBC Sports Boston’s Chris Forsberg wrote. “If the Celtics outkick expectations early in the 2025-26 season, either Pritchard or Derrick White is making an All-Star team. The opportunity is there.”
Last season, Pritchard averaged double digits for the first time in his career. He put up 14.3 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.5 assists. The 27-year-old guard is likely going to continue that trend next season, given the opportunity that Tatum’s injury has presented.
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Reign also writes NBA and WNBA news updates on Sportskeeda. He started as a feature writer for AirAlamo, an NBA website that covers the San Antonio Spurs. Some of his work can also be seen on Valley of the Suns, a Phoenix Suns-centric website, where he served as a contributing writer.
