Trade season in the NBA is officially upon us. Not because any deals have been made to this point, but because most recently signed players became eligible for trade on Monday this week. For the first time in years, there’s legitimate reason to believe that the Boston Celtics will be active before the deadline.
Their hypothetical activity could take them down one of two (or perhaps both) paths. If the Celtics shed about $12 million in salary, they can get beneath the luxury tax and take the first step in resetting their repeater tax penalties. There’s the angle where this team has given the front office reason to believe enough to invest in some added depth.
There are trades that could achieve both goals, but the former seems like it’d be the most realistic target.
Sam Hauser's trade value isn't ideal
With that being said, The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie ranked Sam Hauser 16th on his recent NBA Trade Big Board. Hauser came in as the highest-ranked Celtic, which doesn’t necessarily say much.
According to Vecenie, the sharpshooter’s value doesn’t extend very far beyond helping Boston shed salary. He described the potential return as “second-round picks with no salary in return.”
More than anything, this reinforces the motive behind trading Hauser. A hypothetical move would serve no purpose beyond cutting costs. The team would not get better, just less expensive.
“Moving Hauser is a potential mechanism for the Celtics to get under the luxury tax,” Vecenie wrote. “He is slated to make between $10 and $12 million over the next three years beyond this one, and dealing him without bringing anyone back in return this year would result in the Celtics getting within about $2 million of the luxury tax line to start the process of avoiding the repeater tax long-term.”
Dumping Hauser's salary to cut costs is near-sighted
To be honest, this just doesn’t feel like the right time to move on from Hauser. He’s struggled this season, for sure, shooting just 34% from deep on 5.8 attempts per game. This is the first time he’s shot below 41% from deep as a pro.
Why is this important?
Well, this is what we’d call “selling low.”
Grasping the wallet and shipping Hauser away for mediocre draft compensation would be a mistake. Yes, he’s struggled. But his contract is rather team-friendly, allowing more room for grace when things don’t go well. Plus, he’s under team control for the next few seasons, and could be a big part of the next championship iteration of the Celtics.
Maintaining the $10-12 million cap slot for Hauser allows more flexibility. If Boston decides that one of their many wings can replace him, it makes more sense to use Hauser’s salary to bring in a player who fills a need -- maybe like a center.
For what it’s worth, Vecenie’s list is comprised of players who make sense as trade candidates. It doesn’t necessarily mean that Hauser is on the outs just because he was listed.
“The players listed here are those that league sources are watching intently for multiple reasons as serious trade candidates,” Vecenie explained at the top of his rankings.
Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens wouldn't commit one way or another in terms of hypothetical trade plans, involving any player, when prompted at Wednesday's practice.
“We will not put a ceiling on this group,” he explained. “If it makes sense for us to look for things that can help us, we certainly will. But it all has to be within good deals.”