What happened: Boston guard Payton Pritchard's two-year, $44.2 million extension includes a mutual option for the 2029-30 season. The term makes his deal the sixth this summer and fall to carry the once-rare clause. Jake Fischer detailed the mechanism's return in a piece outlining its comeback.

Why it matters: Mutual options require both player and team to agree to extend, preserving flexibility on both sides. The cluster of six marks a comeback for a structure that had largely disappeared from extensions. For Pritchard, it sets a joint decision point after the two guaranteed years.

What to watch: Training camp opens the runway into the 2026-27 season before the extension takes effect. Further extensions before opening night will show how far the trend spreads.