3. Trade Sam Hauser
Sam Hauser has been a valuable bench piece to the Celtics for the past three seasons. He’s the perfect player for Joe Mazzulla’s offense and has carved out a great role with the team.
When he’s in the zone, he’s arguably one of the best three-point shooters in the league and is capable of holding his own on defense. Besides that, Hauser doesn’t bring much to the table. With the Celtics' current cap situation, the Celtics must move on from him.
Hauser, 27, signed a four-year, $45 million extension with the Celtics last July that starts next season. Hauser’s numbers dipped a bit from last year, but he still averaged 8.5 points, 3.2 rebounds, shooting 41.6% from three in 21.7 minutes.
He was a non-factor in the playoffs this year, averaging 3.5 points on 13.5 minutes, shooting 33.3% from three. Although Hauser missed three games in the second round with an ankle sprain, he still maintained his usual performance.
Hauser’s impact is heavily reliant on whether he can make threes, and besides that, it’s non-existent. Threes are his bread and butter, which leads to stretches of impactful play or slumps.
His upcoming price tag isn’t worth what Hauser does, and I believe the Celtics need to move on from him. The league is filled with players capable of shooting threes, and although they may not be as elite as Hauser, they can impact the game in other areas.
While trading Hauser won’t haul in a return like one would for Porzingis or Holiday, the Celtics can at least save money because teams will be intrigued by the opportunity of getting Hauser. The Celtics also have a potential Hauser replacement in-house with Baylor Schierman.
Schierman has shown some flashes in limited play to take Hauser’s minutes. He has 3-and-D potential and can also be a facilitator or rebounder if his shots aren’t falling.