The Boston Celtics could carve out a role for Sam Hauser during the 2022-23 season if the undrafted free agent from a year ago can tighten up his game following his three-year contract extension offered by the team earlier this month — this, at least, according to MassLive’s Brian Robb. According to Robb’s intel, ‘team sources believe he could push for minutes in the rotation if he tightens up some areas of his game, something that he will have a chance to show in Summer League.’
Hauser solidified his three-year, $5.6 million deal at the start of free agency and heads into the season as one of the team’s 12 guaranteed salaries on the books. Though he does not currently have a role in a stacked guard rotation that now features Marcus Smart, Jaylen Brown, Malcolm Brogdon, Derrick White, and Payton Pritchard, he has the means to do so in the coming weeks.
Boston kicks off their Summer League slate in Las Vegas with a matchup against the Miami Heat Saturday, which will be the first of five games over the next 10 days for the defending Eastern Conference champion’s ragtag squad of recent draftees–like the 2022 NBA Draft’s No. 53 pick JD Davison and 2021 second-rounder Juhann Begarin–as well as two-way players, and prospective training camp invites. Right now, the Cs have three open roster spots that can be filled with what’s left on the free agent scrapheap or with gems found in the Summer League.
Remember, the Miami Heat signed Max Strus after a brilliant shooting performance last year and turned him into a starter. Write off the SL at your own peril; the Cs can absolutely find a 2022-23 rotational contributor this summer.
Hauser is simply hoping to show the Boston Celtics that they have already found him. And paid him.
Sam Hauser opens the door for the Boston Celtics to pursue Kevin Durant
Connecting the dots between the undrafted Sam Hauser and franchise-altering former 2x NBA Finals MVP Kevin Durant, the former’s presence on the roster opens up a potential pursuit for the latter. As we know, the price for KD is astronomically high and the Brooklyn Nets seem hellbent on maximizing their return for their do-it-all combo forward.
Well, the Boston Celtics are one of the few teams capable of meeting the Nets’ price, being able to offer a package starting with Jaylen Brown and several draft picks and being capable of also including any of the following players: Marcus Smart, Derrick White, Grant Williams, and Payton Pritchard.
Losing that much depth doesn’t hurt if Hauser can step into the rotation and contribute positive minutes off the pine. In fact, Hauser’s sharpshooting–he had a 42% from 3-point range in his time split between the big club and Maine last season–would be an excellent fit next to Durant and Jayson Tatum. He could be starting material depending on what pieces are sent to Brooklyn in a deal.