It's hard to think about the offseason at the moment, as the Boston Celtics are still reeling from their most embarrassing playoff loss, maybe ever. But, the point still stands that Boston has a $27.7 million TPE via Anfernee Simons, can execute sign-and-trades, and possesses the non-taxpayers MLE. They can't utilize everything, but they can use both of them effectively if Sam Hauser is involved.
Sports Illustrated's John Karalis raised this when discussing the Celtics' options, noting that they can use Hauser's $11 million contract in a sign-and-trade while using the Ant TPE and still retaining the MLE.
He even used an example of how to do a sign-and-trade for someone like Rui Hachimura (who is basically a bigger version of Hauser) while trading Hauser and still having the $14.1 million MLE left over.
"The Celtics could offer him a contract starting at $20 million in a sign-and-trade, and send Sam Hauser back to Los Angeles, who would have the cap space to absorb his contract. The Celtics would add about $9 million in salary. They would still have the full MLE at their disposal, and depending on the moves they make, they could use about $10-11 million of it before getting to the tax," Karalis proposed.
Keep in mind that this is just an example, as one could argue that swapping Hauser for Hachimura is a lateral move. Also, the Celtics could simply try to take Hachimura on the MLE, but Karalis's great point remains that Boston has this option no matter what they do, as it opens the door to other options like reuniting with Marcus Smart.
It will all depend on how the Celtics view Hauser
Hauser is not overpaid for his services. In fact, there's a strong argument that he's underpaid for what he does. He is still one of the league's best sharpshooters. However, sharpshooters can be expendable especially if that's pretty much all that they bring to the basketball court.
This past season proved that Hauser is more of a specialist than he is a starter. His bread and butter is his three-point shot, but besides that, he doesn't bring a whole lot else to the table. He's a perfectly fine defender, but he's not an elite one.
That stands out more when compared to the likes of Boston's younger wings like Jordan Walsh, Baylor Scheierman, and Hugo Gonzalez. None of those three compare to Hauser as three-point snipers, but their futures indicate they could be all-around better players than Hauser going forward.
Now, Boston should not trade Hauser just because. They should do it on the premise that they have the chance to get a player(s) who is better along with their belief that their young wings are the better options long-term.
However, these last two playoff exits should really make the Celtics think about the cost of retaining a core that simply hasn't come to replicating the same success they had two years ago. Hauser has been a great soldier in Boston, but in this line of business, you don't let sentiment get in the way of your decisions.
Parting ways with him would be tough, but it might be necessary if it gets the Celtics closer to Banner 19.
RIP Brandon Clarke
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