Sam Hauser Feels Like A Lock To Leave Boston VIA Tax Casualty

Sam Hauser Feels Like A Lock To Leave Boston VIA Tax Casualty

The Celtics were in a tricky spot with Sam Hauser last offseason. They eventually decided to extend him, and now, one year later, it feels like they’re going to be forced to move off that investment.

Hauser, 27, has a $45 million extension that’s about to kick in this season. With the Celtics trying to shed salary for the tax, reports have surfaced that Hauser is the most likely to be dumped.

VIA Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix, on NBC Sports Boston’s Off C’season special

“Hauser is the most likely candidate to go just because you have (Baylor) Scheierman there to effectively fill his role,” Mannix said. “I think they’d love to find a home for Jrue Holiday just because of the contract and where they are as a team. (Kristaps) Porzingis, who knows? They don’t want to take contracts that are longer than Porzingis’ deal, but he’s certainly available.”

“Whenever I talk to teams about Boston, they’re almost viewed as a target where they got a little bit of something for everybody,” Mannix said. “If you want a wing player, you can go and try to pull Sam Hauser out of there. If you need a defensive-minded guard, hey, Jrue Holiday is available. I just think right now, teams are waiting to see just how deep the cuts with Boston are going to go.”

2025 Boston Celtics Offseason Guide: An Open Letter To Brad Stevens

I’m not a fan of Mannix, but he says two important things here:

A: He’s right. Baylor Scheierman can step right into that role. If Scheierman continues to develop heading into year two, maybe there’s zero drop off and he steps in at a much cheaper price.

B: How deep of cuts are we talking about? Is dumping Hauser enough to appease ownership, or are they going to tear off another piece as well? That part remains to be seen.

If the Celtics only dump Hauser and the rest of the roster remains largely intact, that appears to be the best-case scenario for Celtics fans. I’m just doubtful that’s going to be the entire list of cuts coming.

Click Here for more NBA Content

Subscribe to Vendetta’s Twitch

Subscribe to Vendetta’s YouTube

Check out Vendetta Fantasy Contests