Given the overlap of their position and skill sets, it should have been little surprise that the Boston Celtics electing to trade for Chicago Bulls big man Nikola Vucevic at the 2026 NBA trade deadline was going to be at least a little unpopular for backup Celtics center Luka Garza.
By his own admission in a recent interview, the Bosnian-American big was genuinely happy for the move helping to make the team he plays for better. But he also knew that would come at a cost to his own playing time. Still, the perspective of teammate Payton Pritchard in particular stood out as a boost for the Washington, DC native.
“Payton was during a game … was playing … my minutes were looking a little different at first,” said Garza. “And he was just like, ‘You know, stick with it.'”
“Obviously, he (and Sam Hauser, who also offered support) have been in that situation before, especially (Pritchard),” said the Celtics center.
“He mentioned when Malcolm Brogdon came here and changed his minutes, (he) had to keep his mind right through that, and obviously it’s worked out well for him. So I think that was a special moment for me just to have those guys support me like that.”
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This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: Luka Garza points to Pritchard for navigating role change on Celtics
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