Heading into next week's NBA Draft, the Boston Celtics hold two picks at 28 and 32. While it's great to hold the pair of picks, the C's may be limited in the level of talent that they'd be able to bring in within their range. Sure, sleeper prospects exist, and it's not impossible to find a diamond in the rough, but it could be worthwhile looking into trading up.
Well, what would that cost? Depending on the range, climbing up the draft order might simply require Boston to package their two selections this year.
In a hypothetical scenario proposed by First to the Floor's Jake Issenberg, the Celtics would have the ability to trade sharpshooting wing Sam Hauser for the 14th overall pick.
Would you trade Sam Hauser for the 14th pick in the draft?
— Jake Issenberg (@jakeissenberg) June 17, 2025
The response from the Celtics community was an overwhelming yes, with 77% of voters electing to favor youth over Hauser's proven skillset.
I was, in fact, one of the voters who was in favor of the hypothetical trade.
What's the motivation for the Celtics to trade Hauser for the 14th overall pick?
Well, for starters, swapping Hauser for the 14th overall pick would be a step towards the Celtics achieving their top goal this offseason -- cutting costs. Boston needs to save a total of roughly $20 million by the 2026 NBA Trade Deadline to avoid being above the league's second-apron line for the third straight season.
By sending the Wisconsin native's $10.04 million salary out in exchange for the pick, the Cs could save roughly $5 million, based on Spotrac's projected rookie-scale contracts for the 2025-26 season. If Boston were to draft someone at 14, they'd only owe that player an estimated $4.9 million.
Considering that Hauser is already a trade candidate to "keep an eye" on, per HoopsHype's Michael Scotto, this return would probably be one of the best out there.
Boston would put itself in a prime position to snag a lottery prospect in this talent-rich draft pool. Players like Collin Murray-Boyles, Cedric Coward, Nique Clifford, and Thomas Sorber would be great additions to the roster with high upside. If the front office truly believes in any of these guys, a move like this would be the only way they'd be wearing Celtic green in Las Vegas at Summer League, as they likely wouldn't be on the board by the time pick 28 rolls around.
Sure, there's the counterpoint that the Celtics would be giving up a guy who has proven to be a consistent contributor within their winning system for an unproven rookie. Hauser's contract also isn't remotely bad, as a player with his skillset would likely draw a larger figure if he were an unrestricted free agent this summer.
He's shot over 40% from long range in each of his three seasons with the C's. Mind you, Hauser has never shot below that mark at any level, starting in high school. A player who is as elite a shooter as he is can be hard to come by, especially at his current wage.
Over the past year, Hauser did battle some back issues that kept him from being as impactful as a defender, so if the Cs are worried about his long-term health, or, again, are infatuated with a prospect who is available at 14, then this scenario would make sense for them.