Boston Celtics Rumors: Sam Hauser a minor signing worth big potential

While the addition of Malcolm Brogdon and Danilo Gallinari has Boston Celtics fans excited, another smaller transaction should spark some intrigue as well.

As reported by The Boston Globe’s Adam Himmelsbach, the Celtics are bringing back Sam Hauser on a three-year deal worth $6 million.  The first two of that three-year deal are fully guaranteed for a player who played his way onto the roster as a rookie during the 2021-22 NBA season.

Now, why the intrigue over an end-of-the bench player who will have a hard time cracking the rotation in next season?

Boston Celtics have hopeful plans for Sam Hauser

His sharpshooting ability is a main reason.  If he can improve defensively, the Celtics feel the 24-year-old forward out of the University of Virginia can become a regular contributor, which would just add more depth to a team that already figures to go 10 deep.

While Hauser mostly flashed in the G League, averaging 20.2 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 3.2 assists in 13 games with the Maine Celtics, he did show some flash with the big team as well.

In a late-season game against the Milwaukee Bucks, Hauser was one of the stars off the bench contributing 11 points on 4-for-6 shooting.  More impressively he went 3-for4 from deep, showcasing the kind of production the Celtics are envisioning in the future and as soon as the 2022-23 NBA season.

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Boston Celtics head coach Ime Udoka gushed over Hauser’s performance at the time, which makes the three-year deal actually a no-brainer, especially if he continues to develop in other aspects of his game.

"“First and foremost, his shooting stands out.  Elite shooter,” Udoka said prior to Hauser’s career-night, as transcribed by CLNS Media.  “He’s been that since I saw him, had him in the building and obviously with the G-League team he’s been doing that, but he’s a very cerebral player across the board.  He’s fit in well in games that he’s played early in the season when guys were injured, we plugged him right in and he didn’t really miss a beat as far as defensively and some of the things we were looking for.”"

Udoka went on to further applaud Hauser as a cerebral player on both side of the court who he is comfortable putting in with starters.

Though he averaged just 2.5 points in 26 games played with the Boston Celtics, mostly in garbage time, it’s the 43.2 percent shooting from 3-point range that makes him an intriguing player, especially during a time in the NBA where shooting beyond the arc is so essential.

While Gallinari was brought to Boston to fulfill the team’s need for scoring off the bench, Sam Hauser could still earn some minutes since Gallinari is on the other side of 30 and as we know in the NBA there will be games older players get time off.  There is some big potential for an undrafted player.