It’s been tough sledding for third-year pro Payton Pritchard in 2022-23.

Lodged comfortably (or, in his case, uncomfortably) near the bottom of the Celtics’ backcourt depth chart, Pritchard finds himself averaging a career-low 10:31 of action through 21 games this season, and has not found shooting game that made him a viable bench piece for the Celtics in his first two years in town

And that crowded backcourt in Boston has led teams to poke around in regards to the potential availability of Pritchard, according to the Heavy’s Steve Bulpett.

“Not surprisingly, Pritchard’s new situation has other teams sniffing around,” Bulpett wrote in his latest update. “Clubs have been investigating whether he might be worth pursuing in a trade (he makes $2.2 million this year and $4.0 million next).”

Behind Marcus Smart, Derrick White, and Malcolm Brogdon on the totem pole at the one, the 24-year-old Pritchard is averaging career-lows in points (4.4), assists (1.2), and rebounds (1.3) per game. And as previously mentioned, his shooting game has struggled to find its rhythm, with a career-worst 34 percent mark from three-point range this season. That’s a solid seven percent dip from his career norms, with a 41 percent from deep mark in both 2020-21 and 2021-22.

Pritchard has also played more than 15 minutes on just seven occasions in 2022-23, with his season-high coming with a 24:12 outing against the Hawks back on Nov. 16. That, as you would guess, was Pritchard’s best game of the season, with 14 points and a 4-for-6 night from deep in a 25-point win over Atlanta.

The simple fact of the matter may be that Pritchard’s opportunity just won’t come with the Celtics so long as they’re healthy, as he is an obvious No. 4 given the skillset and veteran know-how of the options ahead of him.

The Celtics — and the rest of the NBA, for that matter — seem to know that.

“I like what I see, but it’s hard to say for sure if [Pritchard] could do more with a better opportunity,” an NBA personnel exec told Bulpett. “And first you have to ask if he’s better than what you have and if he’ll even get more of a look with your team.” 

One of a handful of under-25 talents on the Celtics — Grant Williams and Robert Williams III are the other notables on that front — it may make the most sense for the Celtics to simply keep Pritchard in the fold in the event of injuries slicing the team’s depth down to size. Especially when considering Brogdon’s history (he’s basically a missed a third of his career due to injuries).

The Celtics, who are without a first-round pick in 2023, are also highly unlikely to get anything close to a haul for the 6-foot-1 Pritchard. At the very most, it feels like Pritchard could be a throw-in of sorts if the Celtics believe that they could upgrade their depth at another position.

One thing we do know, however, is that Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens isn’t afraid to roll the dice on a potential trade no matter the youth or upside of a potential player out the door.

The NBA trade deadline is set for Feb. 9, 2023.