Sam Hauser Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Celtics Notes: Backup Big Men, Springer, Scheierman, Pritchard

October 26th, 2024 at 7:24pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Celtics used some rare double big lineups in Thursday’s victory at Washington, writes Brian Robb of MassLive. With Sam Hauser unavailable due to low back pain, Robb states that Jordan Walsh was expected to play a larger role. Instead, coach Joe Mazzulla opted for size when he went to his bench by playing Luke Kornet alongside Xavier Tillman. Neemias Queta came in next, which meant three of Mazzulla’s first four substitutions were big men.

Their presence limited veteran center Al Horford to 20 minutes and allowed him to spend more time on the perimeter. Having extra size in the game also solidified Boston’s defense after a shaky first quarter.

“I just liked our bigs’ ability to just kind of protect the rim and make multiple efforts and be physical on the offensive end,” Mazzulla said in explaining the move. “The guys did a great job fighting for spacing.”

Hauser is out for a second straight game on Saturday and it’s unclear how long the back issue might keep him sidelined, according to Souichi Terada of MassLive. Hauser told reporters that he dealt with soreness in his back throughout the offseason and training camp.

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Jaden Springer has reportedly emerged as a trade candidate, but the Celtics viewed him as a potential rotation player heading into training camp, Robb adds in another piece. The fourth-year guard had a quiet preseason and didn’t play in two of the team’s final three exhibition games.
Scoring his first NBA points on a layup late in Thursday’s game has been the high point of Baylor Scheierman‘s professional career so far, notes Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe. After receiving the game ball from his teammates in honor of the achievement, Scheierman talked about the adjustment of having limited playing time after being a star at Creighton. “It’s definitely different coming from college where you play a lot and coming to a team like this that has a lot of established guys,” he said. “But for me, I think it’s just a great opportunity to learn from guys who have made it in this league and obviously signed contracts for a lot of money and have learned at this level. I take it as a learning opportunity, being able to learn from them and grow so that when I get my shot down the line, I’m ready for it.”
Payton Pritchard, who has become famous for his long-range buzzer beaters, would like to see them count extra, Himmelsbach states in a separate story. “I honestly think maybe past half court they should look at adding it as a 4-point play,” Pritchard said. “I mean, it could be interesting. I’ve seen rules overseas that they have a 4-point line.”

Atlantic Notes: George, Embiid, Knicks, Hauser, Queta

October 24th, 2024 at 10:21pm CST by Tristan Tucker

Sixers star Paul George is continuing to progress well in his recovery from a bone bruise in his knee, but he will not be available for Philadelphia’s upcoming two-game road trip, ESPN’s Shams Charania reports (Twitter link). The next update on George’s availability will come early next week, per Charania.

Earlier Thursday, head coach Nick Nurse said both George and Joel Embiid were participating in “most of the action” at practice (Twitter link via The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Keith Pompey). The duo did not participate in the five-on-five scrimmages but were doing some live work.

As we previously relayed, the NBA officially launched an investigation into Embiid’s player participation. He has already been ruled out for the first three games of the year. Without George or Embiid in the season opener, the Sixers lost by 15 points to Milwaukee. They next travel to Toronto and Indiana.

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The new-look Knicks were the talk of the offseason after making massive swings by acquiring Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges via trade. However, they were defeated by 23 points in the opener against the Celtics, allowing 132 points. According to the New York Post’s Peter Botte, the Knicks are aiming to recovery quickly, starting at the defensive end. “That’s championship-level basketball. For us, it was a punch in the mouth and we gotta respond,” guard Miles McBride said. “Obviously, it’s a long year. Can’t overreact to one game, but I don’t think that’s how you go into a year and set the tone.“
Bridges acknowledged that the Knicks know they’re a work in progress, according to SNY Knicks (Twitter video link). “It’s not going to be right away,” Bridges said. “It’s going to take time and building. You can be a mediocre, a solid to okay team, but that’s not what we’re striving to be. We have to continue and get better every day.” The Knicks made the second round of the playoffs last year but struggled with injuries through the end of the year.
Celtics wing Sam Hauser, who played 24 minutes in the season opener and scored 10 points, missed Boston’s Thursday game against the Wizards, observes Spotrac’s Keith Smith (Twitter link). He’s dealing with lower back soreness.
Neemias Queta made a case for more minutes in the Celtics‘ win over the Wizards on Thursday, Brian Robb of MassLive writes. Queta scored 12 points and seven rebounds in just 14 minutes played, holding his own against Washington’s bigs. As Robb writes, the 25-year-old could help ease Al Horford‘s workload with Kristaps Porzingis sidelined.

Celtics Notes: Walker, Practice Methods, Kornet, Tillman

September 26th, 2024 at 10:31am CST by Dana Gauruder

Lonnie Walker IV made a surprise move when he signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the Celtics. It was an unconventional decision for a player with 322 regular season NBA games on his résumé, including 58 with the Nets last season.

Walker explains that he had limited options in free agency.

“I wish I had a clear-cut answer for that as to why I didn’t get a guaranteed deal,” Walker said, per Brian Robb of MassLive.com. “But it’s just the way the cards fall. As a man, good, bad or ugly, you got to accept what fate is given and continue to push. I’m not going to stop or put my head down because I’m not given what I expected.”

With 14 guaranteed contracts and a heavy tax burden, the Celtics are unlikely to carry a 15th man to start the season. Walker says if he’s waived and winds up on Boston’s G League team, he’ll handle it professionally.

“(Brad Stevens) also mentioned that there’s a possibility that I might spend some time in the G League with Maine, and honestly, I’m perfectly fine with that,” Walker said. “Because as a man, you’ve got to take it on the chin. You’ve got to continue to work. You have to continue to be prepared and just keep being ready. I think I’m mentally prepared for almost any outcome that may pop up, and I know sooner or later that the worm will turn and that the light’s still at the end of the tunnel.”

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Nobody could make a basket during the team’s first training camp practice. That was by design. The rims were covered with “bubbles” and the Celtics had to score “points” by other means. “You get your points based on rebounds, turnovers, blocks, steals, everything except putting the ball in the hole essentially,” Sam Hauser told Jay King of The Athletic. “I guess it makes you focus your energy on something other than trying to score, which is probably the (goal). It’s just a different emphasis which is great. But it was interesting for sure.” King details Joe Mazzulla‘s unconventional practice drills.
Luke Kornet re-signed with the Celtics on a one-year deal early in free agency. Kornet wasn’t looking to go elsewhere, he told Robb and other media members. “It’s just been an awesome to be able to play basketball here,” Kornet said. “In terms of every controllable of that side — the leadership, the teammates, just what Boston’s been like for me and my family — I knew that it was an awesome place to come back and stay. And I wanted to be able to do that.”
Xavier Tillman received a two-year deal to stay with the Celtics. Tillman has settled in with the franchise and the city of Boston since joining the team in a deadline-day deal last season, he told Robb. “We’re very, very comfortable,” Tillman said. “At first, when I got here, I didn’t know, because it was finishing up my contract, I didn’t know how it was all gonna pan out for me. But now as far as the city and everything, I feel like I know all the streets, and I know where I’m going. I know about them crazy potholes and stuff like that. Like I’m good now.”
Tillman underwent knee surgery in July but is a full go at camp, Robb reports. “Yeah it was the main reason I was out different periods last year,” Tillman said of the procedure. “My knee would just swell up really bad after a game. But it’s been recovering really well. Like, as far as my range of motion, as far as my strength and stuff like that, and just being able to have a hard day and not have it swell back up. So it’s been progressing really well.” Tillman and Kornet will play key roles while Kristaps Porzingis rehabs from surgery on his left leg.

Celtics Notes: Holiday, Walker, Bench, Front Office

August 31st, 2024 at 5:30pm CST by Arthur Hill

Celtics guard Jrue Holiday is one of the NBA’s most accomplished players, but even he was impressed by the amount of talent on the U.S. Olympic team, writes Souichi Terada of MassLive. Holiday, who has two gold medals and two NBA titles in the past four years, said this year’s Olympics was especially memorable because of the quality of the players involved.

“Those are some of the best players in the world,” he said. “It was fun to go out there and play. Devin Booker, the way that he played, kind of how you play off each other with him is pretty easy. I think Steph Curry is just different, I mean, one of the best players in the world. So to go out there and be his teammate for the first time ever was cool, too. It was an amazing experience. Played with some legends and against some legends, and again, brought back some gold.”

The offseason is nearly over for Holiday and his teammates, who will report to training camp in a few weeks to begin the process of defending their title. The summer has gone by quickly, as Holiday said his memories are still fresh from Boston’s championship celebration in June.

“The medal in Paris was cool, it was obviously against France, so it was kind of literally us against the world,” he said. “But winning here was amazing. I’m not sure anything tops that. To be able to win here in Boston, Game 5, the crowd, the (halfcourt) shot Payton (Pritchard) hit. It was all just so overwhelming that was amazing. Then the parade was crazy, too. I still feel like I’m still on a high with everything going on.”

There’s more from Boston:

After signing an Exhibit 10 deal, Lonnie Walker IV is hoping to win a roster spot in camp just like he did last year on a veteran’s minimum contract in Brooklyn, Terada adds in a separate story. Terada calls the signing a low-risk move for the Celtics and points out that Walker is only 25 even though he has six years of NBA experience. Walker could provide depth at shooting guard behind Pritchard if he makes the team, or he could wind up with Boston’s G League affiliate in Maine.
Playing time for Boston’s bench appears to be unsettled behind Pritchard and Sam Hauser, Brian Robb of MassLive states in a mailbag column. Walker will be given a chance to earn a reserve role, but he’ll have to outperform midseason acquisition Jaden Springer and rookie Baylor Scheierman in training camp.
In the same piece, Robb gives Boston’s front office an A for how it handled this summer. The roster of last season’s title team returns nearly intact, and big men Luke Kornet, Xavier Tillman, and Neemias Queta were retained on club-friendly contracts.

Celtics Notes: White, Brown, Harper Jr., Olympics

July 27th, 2024 at 8:16pm CST by Arthur Hill

Derrick White had to alter his summer vacation plans when he got an offer to join the U.S. Olympic team in the wake of Kawhi Leonard‘s injury, writes Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe. Instead of traveling to Cabo San Lucas, White and his family are spending two weeks in Paris, but he won’t get to relax until he’s done trying to win a gold medal.

“I just had to change plans really quickly. I was super excited,” White said about the invitation. “Once I got that call, I changed my focus. It’s really a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”

Along with Celtics teammates Jayson Tatum and Jrue Holiday, White will be trying to pull off the rare accomplishment of winning an NBA title and Olympic gold just a few weeks apart. In between those feats, he signed a four-year, $125.9MM extension that will keep him under contract through the 2028/29 season.

“I’m excited,” White said. “I wanted to stay in Boston and was able to get it done early, so I don’t have to think about it or talk about it too much. I’m just excited to be in Boston for as long as possible.”

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White confirmed to Himmelsbach that Jaylen Brown called him to explain social media comments he made about not being considered for a spot in the Olympics. Brown said he’s happy for White, but he was expressing his frustrations over the selection process. “Jaylen gave me a call and I was like, ‘Yeah, you didn’t need to call me. I know we’re good,’” White said. “He gave me a call and said he just wanted to clear things up and I told him we’re all good. Never any problem or issue with us, for sure. He’s a hell of a player and I’ve never had a bad thing to say about JB.”
Ron Harper Jr. is hoping to make a strong impression on the Celtics after signing a non-guaranteed training camp deal earlier this month, per Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. Harper appeared in 10 total games on a two-way contract with Toronto before being waived in December following a season-ending shoulder injury. “I was feeling real good before the injury,” he said. “I was going through some shoulder stuff and ended up tearing my labrum, having surgery in December and wasn’t really cleared to play until June. I’m still trying to get into the flow of things. It’s been a long process. It’s the longest time I’ve ever gone without playing basketball since I started hooping. To get back into the flow is real important but I feel like I’m doing a good job.”
Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla will have to be careful not to overextend his three Olympians, Brian Robb of MassLive states in a mailbag column. Tatum, Holiday and White had little time to rest after the NBA Finals ended, and they’ll only have a few weeks off between the conclusion of the Olympics and the start of training camp. Robb expects Sam Hauser and Payton Pritchard to take on larger roles early in the season.

Contract Details: Mobley, Hauser, Reeves, Mamukelashvili

July 25th, 2024 at 7:21pm CST by Luke Adams

Evan Mobley‘s new maximum-salary extension with the Cavaliers features a 15% trade kicker and is fully guaranteed, with no player or team option on the fifth year, reports Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).

As Brian Windhorst previously reported, Mobley’s deal includes multiple levels of Rose Rule incentives and could end up starting at either 25%, 27.5%, or 30% of the 2025/26 cap, depending on whether the big man earns end-of-season honors next season. According to Windhorst, a spot on the All-NBA Third Team would bump Mobley’s starting salary to 27.5% of the cap, but he’d have to make one of the top two teams or win Defensive Player of the Year to increase that figure to 30%.

Here are a few more details on recently signed NBA contracts:

Sam Hauser‘s four-year extension with the Celtics is worth exactly $45MM, as previously reported, and has a straightforward ascending structure with 8% annual raises, tweets cap expert Yossi Gozlan. Hauser’s contract starts at just over $10MM in 2025/26 and increases to nearly $12.5MM by the fourth year (2028/29).
Antonio Reeves‘ three-year, minimum-salary contract with the Pelicans is only fully guaranteed for the 2024/25 season, Hoops Rumors has learned. Reeves’ second-year salary would become 50% guaranteed if he remains under contract through at least July 23, 2025, while his third-year team option is non-guaranteed.
Sandro Mamukelashvili‘s one-year, minimum-salary deal with the Spurs is fully guaranteed, Hoops Rumors has confirmed. Mamukelashvili also waived his right to veto a trade. San Antonio has 14 players with guaranteed salaries for 2024/25, with a 15th player (Julian Champagnie) on a non-guaranteed standard contract.
The two-way contracts recently signed by Jeff Dowtin (Sixers), Jay Huff (Grizzlies), and DJ Steward (Bulls) are each for one season.

Sam Hauser Signs Four-Year Extension With Celtics

July 23rd, 2024 at 3:42pm CST by Arthur Hill

JULY 23: The Celtics have officially signed Hauser to his extension, the team confirmed in a press release.

“You can count on Sam. He comes to work every single day with the right mindset and attitude,” president of basketball operations Brad Stevens said in a statement. “His shooting gets most of the attention – but his feel for the game, defensive versatility, and his consistency as a teammate have allowed him to impact our team in the biggest of moments. We are excited Sam has decided to extend his contract with the Celtics.”

JULY 21: The Celtics have reached an agreement with Sam Hauser on a four-year, $45MM contract extension, agent Jason Glushon tells ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).

It’s a significant raise for the 26-year-old forward, who will make a little more than $2MM for the upcoming season. Boston picked up its team option on Hauser’s contract in late June with the intention of signing him to an extension.

There are no options in the final year so the deal is fully guaranteed, a league source tells Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe (Twitter link).

Hauser is coming off a career-best season in which he played an important role off the bench in the Celtics’ run to an NBA title. He appeared in 79 games, making 13 starts and averaging 9.0 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.0 assists per night, with a .446/.424/.895 shooting line.

Hauser has become one of the NBA’s top three-point shooters since joining the Celtics on a two-way deal after going undrafted out of Virginia in 2021. He spent most of his first season in the G League, then signed a standard contract in the summer of 2022.

Hauser’s extension is the third of the summer for Boston, which also reached long-term deals with Jayson Tatum and Derrick White. In addition, the team has signed Jaylen Brown, Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis to extensions within the past year.

In a full story on the extension, Wojnarowski notes that the Celtics now have a projected $225MM payroll for the 2025/26 season, which would result in a $210MM tax penalty and create the largest combined salary/tax bill in league history. They are also in position to exceed the second apron for each of the next two seasons, which will prevent them from being able to trade their first-round picks for 2032 and 2033.

The franchise could be in new hands by then, as the majority ownership group announced earlier this month that it plans to sell its shares in the team.

Celtics Notes: Brissett, Hauser, Scrubb, Summer League

July 20th, 2024 at 8:28am CST by Tristan Tucker

The Celtics find themselves with 14 players signed to their standard roster, with almost every player from their title run under contract for next year. Oshae Brissett is one of just two players from last year’s roster without a deal for the upcoming season, as MassLive’s Brian Robb observes.

“We have to be mindful of the last roster spot what our needs might be,” president of basketball operations Brad Stevens said. “Oshae had a terrific year with us, not only when he got the opportunity on the court as a teammate and as a person and obviously, in his shoes, there might be a desire to play more. I always want to be respectful of that.”

Brissett declined his player option for next season ahead of free agency, but he may be looking for a minimum deal with a chance to play more elsewhere, Robb writes. Boston kept their 15th spot open for much of last season before ultimately converting Neemias Queta to a standard deal at the end of the year. The Celtics could opt to fill that spot earlier if an injury pops up, and Robb speculates that the door will remain open for Brissett if he doesn’t like his other options on the market. Robb does not expect Svi Mykhailiuk — the only other unsigned player from last year’s title run — to be back.

“We’ll see how the next few months play themselves with regard to people’s availability,” Stevens said. “Obviously Kristaps is going to have a long rehab process ahead of him and we have to determine what’s the best need for our team in that 15th spot.”

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In a MassLive.com mailbag, Robb explores the contract status of Sam Hauser. Because the market dried up quickly this offseason, talented players like Gary Trent Jr. and Caleb Martin received less than expected. Given the unpredictability of free agency, it might make sense for the Celtics and Hauser to agree to an extension approaching the value of the mid-level exception, Robb suggests.
The Celtics signed Jay Scrubb to a two-way contract last year but he suffered an ACL tear in the offseason and was cut before the season began. According to Robb, while nothing is done at this point, there is mutual interest between the Celtics and Scrubb in a reunion this offseason. Boston has Drew Peterson and JD Davison on two-way contracts, and Anton Watson (No. 54 overall pick in 2024) seems likely to sign to a two-way deal, so the pathway to earning one again may be difficult for Scrubb. However, Scrubb averaged 22.8 points per game in the G League in 2022/23 and could earn a roster spot later in the season if he proves himself again.
Boston’s rookies have impressed in summer league but second-year wing Jordan Walsh has struggled with his shot, MassLive’s Souichi Terada writes. Outside of the Celtics’ draftees, Ron Harper Jr. and Jaelen House were standouts this summer. The C’s already agreed to an Exhibit 10 deal with Harper.

Atlantic Notes: Sixers, Council, Hauser, Shead

July 15th, 2024 at 5:30pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Sixers have enjoyed a banner offseason with their ample cap space, signing top priority Paul George, as well as Caleb Martin, Andre Drummond and Eric Gordon. They also gave Tyrese Maxey a max rookie scale extension and re-signed Kelly Oubre and Kyle Lowry. Nick Nurse can’t wait to put all the pieces together.

“We certainly had a great summer,” the Sixers’ head coach said, per Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer. “There’s just no other way of looking at it in that there’s a lot of guys that we targeted that were at the very top of our list, and a lot of categories that we needed to fill, and we got a lot of them.”

Nurse is especially excited by the prospect of George complementing the skills of the other Sixers stars, Maxey and Joel Embiid. “We had the one, five [positions] solidified. We needed something in the middle. That’s PG,” he said. “We are going to have to wait and see. I’m sure it’s going to take some time, you know, for total connection and chemistry, but obviously they all can score at all levels. So it should be a great fit.”

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Ricky Council has emerged as a go-to scorer during Summer League action and could jump into the Sixers’ rotation next season, Pompey writes in a separate story. Council was signed to a four-year contract in April. “If you can play basketball, someone will find you at some time,” assistant coach Mike Brase said. “It might be when you are young in the process and being recruited or when you get older. And in Ricky’s case, he went to Wichita State and Arkansas and [goes] undrafted [last summer] and makes the most of it.”
The Celtics exercised their $2.1MM club option on Sam Hauser‘s contract but Hauser could be a cap casualty next offseason, Brian Robb of MassLive.com speculates. Hauser’s next contract will be significantly larger, so the Celtics’ efforts to re-sign him next summer could hinge on whether they move a big salary.
Second-round pick Jamal Shead exemplifies the Raptors‘ commitment to getting better defensively, Eric Koreen of The Athletic writes. Shead has displayed his defensive tenacity during Summer League play. “As you can see in the draft class as well, we’re trying to find as many possible two-way guys that can be — we call them the most important guy,” coach Darko Rajakovic said. “(The) most important guy is the guy who’s got who’s guarding the ball. He makes it easier for everybody else.”

Celtics Picking Up Sam Hauser’s Option, Will Work On Extension

June 29th, 2024 at 10:54am CST by Tristan Tucker

The Celtics are picking up Sam Hauser‘s team option worth $2.1MM ahead of Saturday’s deadline, The Boston Globe’s Adam Himmelsbach reports.

The move puts Hauser on track for unrestricted free agency in 2025. The Celtics could have made him a restricted free agent this summer by declining his team option.

However, the two sides are expected to begin negotiating a contract extension when the window to do so opens on July 9, according to Himmelsbach. Hauser would remain extension-eligible for the entire 2024/25 league year if he doesn’t agree to a new deal right away.

“I will say we want Hauser to be here for a long time,” president of basketball operations Brad Stevens said this week.

Hauser became a key player for the Celtics off the bench after originally joining the team on a two-way contract in 2021. This past season, he averaged 9.0 points on 42.4% shooting from deep (5.9 attempts) in 79 regular season games. He appeared in 14 playoff games and helped the Celtics win their 18th title.

We’re tracking all of the 2024/25 team option decisions right here.