Celtics make another big call with Sam Hauser's contract extension

The Boston Celtics have spent this summer signing their championship rotation to contract extensions. Brad Stevens has proved to value continuity within his team, especially after Boston's dominant run throughout the 2023-24 season.

On Sunday, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported that Boston had signed sharpshooting forward Sam Hauser to a four-year, $45M deal.

Hauser joined Boston as an undrafted rookie in 2020. He has worked himself up from a two-way contract into being a key part of a championship rotation.

His new deal with the Celtics illustrates his importance to Joe Mazzulla's offensive system. Boston triggered its team option on Hauser's contract on June 30, so his new deal won't hit the franchise's cap sheet until next summer.

On Friday, ESPN's Bobby Marks warned of the tax penalties Boston would face if it chose to keep Hauser around long-term.

"By exercising his $2M team option this offseason, Hauser could be an unrestricted free agent without an extension," Marks wrote. "...Because Boston is a repeater tax team next year and the NBA is set to implement more stringent penalties, a new contract for Hauser starting at $8M adds over $60M in tax penalties."

Last season, Hauser shot 42.4% from the perimeter while taking 5.9 attempts per game. During the playoffs, he shot 38%. He has also emerged as a reliable wing defender who can switch down multiple positions to provide versatility within Boston's defensive structure. Keeping Hauser around ensures the Celtics have positional flexibility and elite scoring on the bench.

Boston has cemented itself as a perennial contender for the foreseeable future. It has built a dynasty around homegrown talent and is stumping up the cost to keep the team intact. If the return on investment is multiple championship runs, then the price of doing business will be worth it.

However, there will undoubtedly be a bright spotlight on the Celtics' performance in the coming years as they edge dangerously close to being billed as the most expensive team of all time.