Let's start with this: no one should have a problem with Sam Hauser. He's been an excellent story for the Boston Celtics from pretty much Day 1, and he has done everything the team has wanted him to do. However, five seasons into his Celtics tenure, it's clear that, for how good Hauser is as a player, Boston should trade him, but only as long as doing so makes their team situation better.
Something else needs to be clarified before explaining why: Boston should not trade Hauser just because. He is an excellent three-point shooter (albeit a streaky one) who has proven himself not to be a defensive liability. Furthermore, he's not overpaid for what he does, and the Celtics don't need to cut costs.
With all of that out there, what Hauser has proven is that he's a specialist, not a starter. With Jayson Tatum out for most of the 2025-26 season, Hauser's numbers didn't get better despite more minutes and more touches seemingly being more available. They didn't nosedive, but if there's a player who failed to take advantage of Tatum's absence, it was Hauser.
Until this season, Hauser was the three-point shooting Boston desperately needed off their bench. Being elevated to starter didn't change anything, thus showing that he's a specialist more than he is a starter.
It's possible that a player can be both, but in Hauser's case, he's better off being the player he is in the second unit, not the first. Making it even harder is that the Celtics have younger wings than him that may prove more useful in the long run by virtue of being more multi-faceted, even if they're not the sniper Hauser is.
A Hauser trade will all depend on what's out there
The Celtics have the $27.7 million Anfernee Simons TPE, along with the ability to execute sign-and-trades, so they can send Hauser somewhere in exchange for a player on a more expensive contract who fits the team better. But it would all depend on who that player is. That's the beauty of Hauser's contract situation.
However, Brad Stevens knows he must choose wisely, though. Someone like Cameron Johnson sounds appealing (especially since Denver plans to cut costs this summer), but that's an upgrade at a wing position during a time in which, again, the Celtics may not need that.
If a Hauser trade is in the works, in an ideal world, it should to be either to get an upgrade in the big rotation or the guard rotation all while not compromising Boston's hopes of signing a player to the non-taxpayers mid-level exception.
How they would do that is anyone's guess, but Stevens is a miracle worker. Let's end this the way it started. If Boston cannot find any better options, Hauser should stay put, but if he does, he should be put back into the role he had before Tatum's injury.
No one should be rooting for Hauser to be traded, but they should be all for it if the Celtics get a player who fits better.
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