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2 wings the Boston Celtics passed on due to trust in Sam Hauser

By Andrew Hughes

The Boston Celtics ultimately decided to pass on several veterans due to the team's trust in second-year forward Sam Hauser (Photo by Mike Mulholland/Getty Images)
The Boston Celtics ultimately decided to pass on several veterans due to the team's trust in second-year forward Sam Hauser (Photo by Mike Mulholland/Getty Images) /
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The Boston Celtics ended up passing on several wings on the trade market because the front office ultimately decided to gamble on Sam Hauser’s improvement of late being lasting and more than a mere trend.

These wings, Jae Crowder, who was traded from the Suns to the Nets in the Kevin Durant trade and eventually the Bucks, and Saddiq Bey, who was routed to the Hawks in a four-team setup, both cost the team that acquired them five first-round picks.

MassLive’s Brian Robb, in a piece titled ‘Sam Hauser making Celtics feel savvy about quiet trade deadline with timely turnaround,’ relayed that the second-year wing from Virginia and Marquette got the vote of confidence over wings he referred to as ‘uncertain upgrades’:

"“There were plenty of opportunities for the Celtics to try to snatch a more veteran wing at the trade deadline (Jae Crowder, Saddiq Bey) at a reasonable price. Instead Brad Stevens showed faith in his younger talent over reaching for an uncertain upgrade and opted for a big in Mike Muscala. If the last week is any indication, that vote of confidence in Hauser could go a long way for the Celtics’ this season and potentially beyond.”"

The Boston Celtics took the 2020-21 Bucks route

Ultimately, the Boston Celtics went the way of the 2020-21 NBA champion Bucks at the 2023 NBA trade deadline — adding a shooting big at the trade deadline at the measly cost of future draft capital and non-rotation players.

Milwaukee brought on P.J. Tucker two deadlines ago for D.J. Augustin, D.J. Wilson and the Bucks’ first-round pick in 2023, while also sending away Rodions Kurucs to the Rockets. The Celtics sent Justin Jackson and two future second-round picks in the Mike Muscala trade.

The primary goal of both deadlines was simple: keep the major pieces of the team’s core intact while supplementing the stars with more shooting. It worked for Milwaukee in 2021, and now the onus is on Boston to make sure there are no trade deadline regrets about not trying to be more aggressive.

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