Sam Hauser will turn into an unrestricted free agent subsequent summer time if he does not signal a contract extension with the Boston Celtics.
The undrafted sharpshooter has been successful story of the Brad Stevens period since becoming a member of the crew in 2021. After signing a two-way contract with Boston, Hauser earned himself a full-time deal, established himself within the rotation and helped lead the Celtics to a championship final season.
Boston is a second-apron luxurious tax crew and is on the right track to pay the repeater tax, so an extension for Hauser is extra sophisticated than meets the attention. In keeping with ESPN’s Bobby Marks, an $8M contract extension for the sharpshooter would price Boston over $60M in penalties. Hauser would probably command greater than $8M, too.
“By exercising his $2 million crew choice this offseason, Hauser could possibly be an unrestricted free agent with out an extension,” Marks wrote. “…As a result of Boston is a repeater tax crew subsequent yr and the NBA is about to implement extra stringent penalties, a brand new contract for Hauser beginning at $8 million provides over $60 million in tax penalties.”
Final season, Hauser performed in 79 regular-season video games, averaging 9 factors, 3.5 rebounds and an help per sport. He shot 42.4% from the perimeter, establishing himself as among the best floor-spacing function gamers within the NBA. He continued to develop his popularity with some respectable performances within the postseason, pulling down his threes at a 38% clip.
Since getting into the league, Hauser has additionally confirmed himself to be an above-average defender. He is dealt with each defensive task thrown at him and held his personal inside Joe Mazzulla’s intricate and dominant system. There will probably be a number of contending groups prepared to snap Hauser up ought to he hit the free-agent market.
Nonetheless, in response to a June 18 report by The Athletic’s John Hollinger, the Celtics are desirous about retaining Hauser sooner or later.
“Hauser has one yr left for the minimal, on a crew choice, and will probably be extension-eligible this summer time; he’s about to get costlier, however Boston sees him as a keeper,” Hollinger wrote.
Because the begin of the offseason, Stevens has proven his dedication to roster continuity by extending or re-signing a good portion of the championship-winning rotation. Hauser’s worth to Mazzulla’s system is simple. If the Celtics are prepared to eat the tax penalties, then an extension is probably going. Nonetheless, given the addition of Baylor Scheierman within the NBA Draft, Boston might select to check its luck in free company.
The Celtics have a troublesome resolution to make on Hauser’s future. He is earned a pay rise along with his stellar play. He is an NBA champion. And he is among the best motion shooters within the NBA.
Nonetheless, the monetary impression a possible extension would have on the Celtics’ cap sheet might imply that is his final season with the franchise that gave him his begin within the NBA.
