The Boston Celtics have already reshaped their roster by shipping veterans Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis out of town in deals largely made to reduce costs as the franchise was staring at a record luxury tax bill following the 2024-25 campaign.
While those moves did help Boston move into a better position than the salary cap hell it would have found itself in otherwise, the Celtics are still above the second apron and are surely working to get under that line before training camps open this fall.
This means that more moves are on the way, and there are reportedly a pair of players who are the most likely to be included in any further cost-cutting trades that take place this summer.
Celtics Veteran Sam Hauser Won't Survive July in Boston
According to Jay King of The Athletic, Boston is still roughly $332,000 over the line that separates the first apron from the second apron in the league's CBA. This is a clear priority for Brad Stevens and the front office as they look to navigate the 2025-26 campaign with a new ownership group in place.
Given the makeup of the current roster, two players jump out as the most likely trade candidates. Those players are none other than Sam Hauser and recently acquired forward Georges Niang. Of the two, Hauser would undoubtedly generate the most interest on the trade market and has already been linked to the Denver Nuggets.
I know they tried dispelling such rumors earlier, but Sam Hauser being a potential cost cutting move for the Celtics is still in play, and the Nuggets have a TPE to absorb his salary (though the Celtics would need to take back one small salary)
— Ryan Blackburn (@NBABlackburn) July 1, 2025
With Jayson Tatum set to miss the majority, if not all, of the regular season, it never made sense to be as deep into the second apron as the Celtics were projected to be. The outlook for this coming year is anything but clear, and there is no reason to pay a steep luxury tax bill when that is the case.
Hauser has been a key rotation player for Boston over the last three seasons, appearing in at least 71 regular-season games for the Celtics since the 2022-23 campaign, and has even served as a spot starter when needed. Losing a career 42% 3-point shooter would be a tough pill to swallow for Boston fans, but, unfortunately, this could be a decision driven more by dollars and cents rather than anything related to Hauser's on-the-court contributions.