The Boston Celtics have made a number of cost-cutting moves this summer as they have painfully torn down a contender to save money. One player they did not move on from was sharpshooting wing Sam Hauser, proving they wanted to keep him around.
The Celtics were always going to shed salary this summer. In the midst of a sale to new ownership and with the league's draconian penalties for teams well above the second tax apron, Brad Stevens was going to move off of at least one rotation player this summer to lower the team's payroll. That was always going to happen.
When Jayson Tatum tore his Achilles in the Eastern Conference playoffs, suddenly the mission went from lowering their team salary to slashing it, making a "gap year" where the team got under the second apron entirely before loading back up for 2026-27. Boston traded away Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis, while also allowing Al Horford and Luke Kornet to walk.
One player many expected the Celtics to move on from was Sam Hauser. The veteran wing is just beginning a four-year contract that pays him $11 million per season. That is reasonable money for what Hauser brings to the table -- perhaps even an underpay if players such as Duncan Robinson are making $16 million per season with a similar skillset -- but it's also significant. For a Celtics team taking a year off, it is something of a luxury.
Yet even with all of the cost-cutting the Celtics have done, Hauser was never in substantive trade rumors and he remains with the team. That could certainly change in the coming weeks or all the way up to the trade deadline, but for now he is on the Celtics, and the most likely window for him to be traded has passed.
In short, the Celtics are making it clear that they want Hauser to be a part of the next great Boston Celtics team.
The Celtics are clear about valuing Hauser
You can set your watch to Sam Hauser's shooting; he is the picture of consistent accuracy. In each of his four seasons in the NBA the 6'8" wing has shot between 41.8 and 43.2 percent from 3-point range, for an average of 42 percent flat.
For a Celtics team that is dead-set on getting up a high volume of 3-pointers, having a dedicated pure gunner is a valuable thing. Hauser puts up 9.5 triples per 36 minutes, and has largely kept his shot volume the same over his four seasons as well. If you put Hauser on the court he will shoot a 3-pointer once every four minutes and make 42 percent of them. Set your watch.
Hauser is on a good contract, he is only 27 years old and has good positional size in addition to being a reliable marksman. If they were to move on from Hauser, they would be in search of the next version of that player a year or two from now. Such players do not grow on trees, which is why Duncan Robinson of all people got a significant new contract this summer. Hauser is better than Robinson.
The Celtics made their stance on Sam Hauser crystal clear: he is a valuable piece of their organization, has been a Celtic from the start, and they want him to be a Celtic moving forward. In a summer of tumult and change, Hauser's place on the team has been steady. Just like his shooting.