The Celtics and Sam Hauser have agreed to a four-year extension, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.
The new deal is reportedly worth $45 million, as Boston picked up the sharpshooter's team option of his three-year, $5.6 million contract at the start of the off-season.
With this extension -- which doesn't have any player or team options, Hauser is now under contract through the 2028-29 campaign. The undrafted forward out of the University of Virginia in 2021, finished shooting 42.4% on 3-pointers last season, fourth best among NBA players with at least 400-plus attempts on his way to a championship.
This past season, Hauser averaged 9.0 points and 3.5 rebounds, while playing 22 minutes per contest mostly off the bench in 79 games (13 starts), ranking 12th in the league when it came to overall 3-point percentage. He also became just the third Celtic in franchise history to hit 10 3-pointers in a regular season game, behind Marcus Smart and Jaylen Brown.
While Hauser did struggle in the Eastern Conference Finals -- shooting just 12.5% from the floor in the four-game sweep of the Indiana Pacers, Hauser turned it around in the NBA Finals against the Dallas Mavericks. The wing scored 8.2 points off the bench on 51.9% from the field and 47.8% from deep as he also held his own defensively when guarding the likes of Luca Dončić.
Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens spoke about Hauser's performance in the finals, saying he was "impressed" when asked about the potential of a long-term deal last month following the NBA Draft and Boston picking up his team option on the third year of veteran's current deal.
"He really struggled in the Indiana series," Stevens told reporters in June. "Then, he bounced back and had an amazing Dallas series. I thought he was terrific throughout. Even when he was 0-for-5 in Game 2, I thought he was terrific the whole series. Defensively, he's a harder guy to attack than people realize."Even when he switched onto Luka [Dončić], and Luka scores on everybody at times, but when he switched onto Luka, he doesn't foul. He's smart, keeps you in front, and makes you take tough shots. He did a good job."
Despite Boston drafting Baylor Scheierman with this year's No. 30 overall pick, many believed Hauser would be the odd man out. However, that was not the case, according to Stevens last month.
"I'm not going to get into particulars," Stevens said of extending Hauser this offseason. "I will say we want Hauser to be here. For a long time."
Hauser's deal is the third extension the Celtics have completed this month along with Jayson Tatum at five years, $315 million (super-max deal), and Derrick White at four years, $125.9 million. Not to mention with Jaylen Brown, Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porzingis, and also Payton Pritchard all signing their own extensions over the past year, the Celtics are looking at a projected $225 million payroll with an additional $210 million in luxury tax penalties by the time the 2025-26 season rolls around.
Boston is expected to be over the league's second apron for a second consecutive year, making their 2032 and 2033 first-round picks untradable. According to ESPN's Bobby Marks, the C's roster could cost upwards of $450 million with the repeat of tax penalty payments included in 2025-26, surpassing the Golden State Warriors $382 million bill in payroll and taxes this past season.
Even with the Phoenix Suns, who currently are looking at a combined $432 million bill for the upcoming 2024-25 campaign, the Celtics are still projected to have the largest salary and luxury tax payment in league history within the next two years.
Clearly, the Celtics have no issues spending for the time being to keep their title-contending window open for as long as possible, amidst the majority ownership putting the team up for sale.
Joel Pavón
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