Will Celtics trade Hauser? Three potential landing spots for sharpshooter originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
The Boston Celtics enter the 2025 offseason facing a harsh reality: If they want to get under the second apron of the NBA’s luxury tax to avoid highly-restrictive penalties, they’ll need to cut at least $20 million in salary.
That means potentially trading multiple rotation players — one of which could be veteran wing Sam Hauser.
While Hauser is one of the league’s best 3-point shooters — his 42 percent clip from deep since 2022-23 ranks second in the NBA among players with at least 500 3s made in that span — his four-year, $45 million extension kicks in this summer. If the Celtics believe 2024 first-round pick Baylor Scheierman can develop into a serviceable rotation player, they might explore trading Hauser as one way to cut costs.
In fact, Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix identified Hauser as the “most likely” Boston player to get traded during NBC Sports Boston’s The Off C’season YouTube show Wednesday. So, which teams may have interest in the 27-year-old wing based on their team needs and financial situations?
Here are three potential options, as discussed by Mannix, NBC Sports Boston’s Celtics Insider Chris Forsberg, NBC Sports Boston’s Celtics play-by-play announcer Drew Carter and Yahoo Sports’ Kevin O’Connor on The Off C’season.
San Antonio Spurs
Forsberg floated a hypothetical trade in which the Celtics receive Julian Champagnie and a second-round pick from San Antonio in exchange for Hauser. Champagnie would be a downgrade from Hauser offensively, but he averaged 9.9 points per game for the Spurs last season while playing in all 82 games and would save Boston $7 million against the cap.
“There are going to be teams out there that are looking for shooting that don’t love the free agent market, so I look at the Spurs … who have very real pathway to being a legit contender really quickly, and part of that is adding shooting in the form of Sam Hauser,” Forsberg explained.
“I know you guys are looking at Champagnie and a second-round pick like, ‘That’s what we’re doing?’ It’s the cost savings that are most important to Boston at this point. Again, it sucks. It’s not fun that these are the paths we’re navigating. It’s just reality.”
Orlando Magic
Forsberg noted the Celtics could explore a deal like the one above with “any team in the league” that needs a shooter like Hauser, and the Magic certainly qualify after ranking dead-last in the NBA in 3-point percentage in 2024-25. Mannix also mentioned Orlando as a team to watch this offseason as it aims to bolster its offense.
One note about the Magic: They’re over the first apron of the luxury tax and would need to match 100 percent of their outgoing salary in trades. So, if the Celtics want to trim salary in a deal that sends Hauser to Orlando, they’d need to get a third team involved to acquire a lower-cost player.
Detroit Pistons
Like the Magic, the Pistons are a young team with upside that could emerge as a legitimate Eastern Conference contender with the addition of more offense and veteran experience, making Hauser a natural fit.
Forsberg mentioned Detroit as a possible destination for Hauser, while Omari Sankofa of the Detroit Free Press listed Hauser as a potential offseason trade target for the Pistons.
“You can trade him to Detroit — find a young player who makes manageable money and will help you cut costs and hope that you get back a pick as well,” Forsberg said. “That’s essentially what you’re looking for.”
Detroit has two players on its roster making under $5 million next season — Marcus Sasser and Bobi Klintman — who project as the most likely targets for Boston if it wanted to cut significant salary.
Watch the full episode of The Off C’Season in the video below:
Will Celtics trade Hauser? Three potential landing spots for sharpshooter
Sam Hauser should have plenty of value as an elite 3-point threat.
The Boston Celtics enter the 2025 offseason facing a harsh reality: If they want to get under the second apron of the NBA’s luxury tax to avoid highly-restrictive penalties, they’ll need to cut at least $20 million in salary.
That means potentially trading multiple rotation players — one of which could be veteran wing Sam Hauser.
While Hauser is one of the league’s best 3-point shooters — his 42 percent clip from deep since 2022-23 ranks second in the NBA among players with at least 500 3s made in that span — his four-year, $45 million extension kicks in this summer. If the Celtics believe 2024 first-round pick Baylor Scheierman can develop into a serviceable rotation player, they might explore trading Hauser as one way to cut costs.
SIGN UP HERE In fact, Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix identified Hauser as the “most likely” Boston player to get traded during NBC Sports Boston’s The Off C’season YouTube show Wednesday. So, which teams may have interest in the 27-year-old wing based on their team needs and financial situations?
Here are three potential options, as discussed by Mannix, NBC Sports Boston’s Celtics Insider Chris Forsberg, NBC Sports Boston’s Celtics play-by-play announcer Drew Carter and Yahoo Sports’ Kevin O’Connor on The Off C’season.
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San Antonio Spurs
Forsberg floated a hypothetical trade in which the Celtics receive Julian Champagnie and a second-round pick from San Antonio in exchange for Hauser. Champagnie would be a downgrade from Hauser offensively, but he averaged 9.9 points per game for the Spurs last season while playing in all 82 games and would save Boston $7 million against the cap.
“There are going to be teams out there that are looking for shooting that don’t love the free agent market, so I look at the Spurs … who have very real pathway to being a legit contender really quickly, and part of that is adding shooting in the form of Sam Hauser,” Forsberg explained.
“I know you guys are looking at Champagnie and a second-round pick like, ‘That’s what we’re doing?’ It’s the cost savings that are most important to Boston at this point. Again, it sucks. It’s not fun that these are the paths we’re navigating. It’s just reality.”
Orlando Magic
Forsberg noted the Celtics could explore a deal like the one above with “any team in the league” that needs a shooter like Hauser, and the Magic certainly qualify after ranking dead-last in the NBA in 3-point percentage in 2024-25. Mannix also mentioned Orlando as a team to watch this offseason as it aims to bolster its offense.
One note about the Magic: They’re over the first apron of the luxury tax and would need to match 100 percent of their outgoing salary in trades. So, if the Celtics want to trim salary in a deal that sends Hauser to Orlando, they’d need to get a third team involved to acquire a lower-cost player.
Detroit Pistons
Like the Magic, the Pistons are a young team with upside that could emerge as a legitimate Eastern Conference contender with the addition of more offense and veteran experience, making Hauser a natural fit.
Forsberg mentioned Detroit as a possible destination for Hauser, while Omari Sankofa of the Detroit Free Press listed Hauser as a potential offseason trade target for the Pistons.
“You can trade him to Detroit — find a young player who makes manageable money and will help you cut costs and hope that you get back a pick as well,” Forsberg said. “That’s essentially what you’re looking for.”
Detroit has two players on its roster making under $5 million next season — Marcus Sasser and Bobi Klintman — who project as the most likely targets for Boston if it wanted to cut significant salary.
Watch the full episode of The Off C’Season in the video below:
