Sam Hauser Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Atlantic Notes: McCain, Thomas, Hauser, Scheierman

June 28th, 2024 at 2:54pm CST by Arthur Hill

Tyrese Maxey is one of the few definite members of the Sixers‘ roster next season, but that didn’t deter the team from drafting another small guard Wednesday night. Philadelphia used the No. 16 pick on Duke’s Jared McCain, a 6’2″ scoring specialist whose skills seems to overlap with Maxey’s.

President of basketball operations Daryl Morey admitted that having an undersized backcourt isn’t ideal, but he added that McCain has learned how to be effective despite his stature (video link from Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer).

“He’s got a strong frame, very strong, good rebounder,” Morey said. “We think he’ll be a solid defender in the league over time. He was being targeted at Duke, but as the season wore on he was actually one of their better defenders. He’s got the attitude that coach (Nick) Nurse likes to bring, which is just get a little bit better every day. He’s got 95th percentile approach to the game, good teammate, work ethic. We’ve had some good luck with taking kids with a real base of potential and a strong work ethic.”

There’s more from the Atlantic Division:

Cam Thomas, who is eligible for a rookie scale extension this offseason, was the Nets‘ leading scorer this season and his opportunities should increase now that Mikal Bridges is being traded to New York, observes Brian Lewis of The New York Post. Lewis expects Thomas’ usage rate to soar, possibly among the league leaders, but until Brooklyn starts winning he’ll never be able to escape the reputation of putting up good stats on a bad team. “I’ve always gone through that stuff,” Thomas said. “Whenever I … have a big season or leap, it goes a little under the radar or unnoticed. If other players do it, it’s all talked about a lot. Obviously, I’m kind of used to it in a way. I don’t really care. I go out there and play for my guys and the organization to be the best player I can be. … I want to go out there and be the best version of myself.”
With Sam Hauser entering the final season of his minimum contract, the Celtics may have drafted his eventual replacement when they took Creighton’s Baylor Scheierman at No. 30, notes Jared Weiss of The Athletic. Scheierman is a similar type of player, and Weiss points out that he ran some of the same sets in college that Boston uses to create shots for Hauser. The Celtics will be well into tax territory for multiple seasons after expected extensions for Jayson Tatum and Derrick White, so they’ll have to decide whether it’s worth the extra tax bill to re-sign Hauser. Team president Brad Stevens appears willing to make that commitment, telling reporters, “We want him to be here for a long time.” (Twitter link from Brian Robb of MassLive)
With most of the roster already under contract for next season, Stevens doesn’t expect any major changes to the team this offseason, per Kyle Hightower of The Associated Press.
A judge granted the Raptors‘ motion to compel arbitration in their legal dispute with the Knicks, tweets Baxter Holmes of ESPN. Commissioner Adam Silver will make the final decision on whether the case will be arbitrated. All parties must update the court on the status of arbitration by December 13.

Draft Rumors: Hornets, Salaun, Nets, Celtics, Spurs

June 26th, 2024 at 6:39pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Hornets are considering Tidjane Salaun with the No. 6 pick, sources tell Krysten Peek of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). The French power forward has been rising up draft boards recently.

Salaun had to cancel workouts with Charlotte and Detroit after spraining his ankle during a recent session in San Antonio, according to Jonathan Givony of ESPN. He did work out for the Trail Blazers, who hold the seventh pick, and the Spurs are believed to have interest at No. 8, so there’s a good chance he’ll be selected somewhere in the middle of the lottery. Oklahoma City (No. 12) and Sacramento (No. 13) also hosted workouts with Salaun.

Here are a few more rumors as the draft draws closer:

The Nets are “open for business” after reaching an agreement to trade Mikal Bridges to New York, tweets Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports. Cameron Johnson and Dorian Finney-Smith are among the players believed to be available as Brooklyn tries to move into the first round.
The Celtics are shopping the final pick in the first round in hopes of acquiring some extra selections later on, a source tells Brian Robb of MassLive. Robb notes that Boston sent out two second-round picks to acquire Xavier Tillman from Memphis and another in the Jaden Springer deal with Philadelphia, so the team is short on second-rounders. A source tells Robb the Celtics are planning offseason extensions with Derrick White and Sam Hauser, so it will be important to fill out the roster as inexpensively as possible.
The Spurs will be looking for shooters with at least one of their lottery picks, general manager Brian Wright told Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News. The team ranked 28th in three-point shooting percentage this season. “We broke the (franchise) record for (total) three-pointers, but then percentage-wise we’re towards the bottom end of the league, right?” Wright said. “So I think you obviously want to add shooting.” McDonald views Kentucky guard Reed Sheppard as a possible shooting upgrade with the fourth pick if he slips past Houston at No. 3, while Tennessee forward Dalton Knecht is in the mix at No. 8.

Atlantic Notes: Celtics FAs, White, Hauser, Raptors, Missi, Porter

June 18th, 2024 at 7:00pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Celtics have all of their rotation players signed through next season and they could have even more continuity, according to The Athletic’s John Hollinger. Reserve centers Luke Kornet, Xavier Tillman Sr. and Neemias Queta are headed to free agency but the Celtics are open to bringing any or all of them back if the price is reasonable.

The Celtics are also willing to do more extensions beyond a potential super-max deal for Jayson Tatum. They’re interested in locking up Derrick White and Sam Hauser and both are extension-eligible this offseason. White is eligible for a four-year, $127MM extension — including incentives — and the front office will likely need to go that high to get White’s signature.

The team holds a $2MM option on Hauser’s contract for next season. The Celtics could offer a creative deal with the second tax apron in mind. In that scenario, they’d decline the option, then re-sign him for a lower annual salary and more years than an extension that started in 2025/26.

We have more from the Atlantic Division:

The Raptors hold the No. 19 and 31 picks in this year’s draft. The Athletic’s Eric Koreen takes a look at some of the guard prospects they might consider at those spots, including USC’s Isaiah Collier, Duke’s Jared McCain and Houston’s Jamal Shead.
Baylor center Yves Missi participated in a pre-draft workout for the Sixers on Tuesday at their practice facility, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer tweets. The Sixers have picks 16 and 41 in the draft. Missi is ranked No. 23 on ESPN’s Best Available list.
Canadian authorities have opened a criminal investigation into the Jontay Porter betting scandal, ESPN’s David Purdum reports. They will try to determine if a criminal investigation is warranted after evaluating information related to “online betting irregularities from the Jan. 26 and March 20 Raptors games.” Porter was a two-way player for Toronto before he received a lifetime ban from the league.

Celtics Notes: Heat Rivalry, Brown, Porzingis, Kornet, Hauser

April 20th, 2024 at 8:52pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Celtics got a very familiar playoff opponent when the Heat defeated Chicago Friday night, writes Khari Thompson of The Boston Globe. The teams have faced each other in three of the past four Eastern Conference finals, with Miami winning last year and in 2020 and Boston prevailing in 2022. With all the history between the two organizations, Jaylen Brown believed another meeting was inevitable.

“I knew it was going to be Miami. I knew it from a few weeks back,” Brown said. “Just coming from last year to this year, it just makes sense, so we’re looking forward to it. It should be a great challenge. Miami is a tough team, well coached, they play hard, and they’re physical. All the things that we need to emphasize. So it should be fun.”

Kristaps Porzingis, who was acquired in a trade last summer, is looking forward to his first experience with the Celtics-Heat rivalry, Thompson adds. Boston won all three regular season matchups, but Porzingis understands that Miami is dangerous because of how its players approach the play0ffs.

“We have to expect them to be ultra-aggressive,” he said. “Ultra-handsy and trying to do all the little dirty things they can. Not dirty things, but to mess up the game a little bit to get some advantages. And, yeah, we have to be ready for that. It’s going to be a war.”

There’s more from Boston:

Luke Kornet will miss Sunday’s opener with a strained right calf, according to Souichi Terada of MassLive. The backup big man has been part of the rotation, but Terada notes that the Celtics have other options due to a midseason trade for Xavier Tillman and the recent conversion of Neemias Queta‘s two-way contract. No explanation was provided for when or how Kornet was injured.
With Sam Hauser developing into a dangerous three-point weapon off the Celtics’ bench, Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe looks back at the night the sharpshooter decided to join the organization. Moments after the 2021 draft ended, Hauser got two-way contract offers from the Celtics and Timberwolves, along with an opportunity to join the Heat’s Summer League team and compete for a two-way deal. All three teams wanted an answer right away so they could pursue other players if they didn’t land Hauser. “When I got off the phone, my dad was like, ‘Well, why don’t you just sleep on it?’” Hauser said. “And I told him, ‘We’ve got 10 minutes.’ So we all just kind of sat down and talked about the options and came to the conclusion that Boston was probably the best spot for me.”
Jared Weiss and Jay King of The Athletic talked to scouts and coaches about the best strategies for countering the Celtics’ defense.

Celtics Notes: Williams, White, Brown, Hauser

April 1st, 2024 at 10:51pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Hornets big man Grant Williams has fond memories of his days with the Celtics, Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe writes. Williams was moved to Dallas in a sign-and-trade transaction last offseason. He was then dealt to Charlotte at the trade deadline.

“That’s where I was first drafted; that’s the team that believed in me,” Williams said. “I had so many great memories of the team there, the players there, the organization and the city. I’m thankful just to be able to go back and be well received. Honestly, I loved my time in Boston and I loved those years. I enjoyed the experience there and now it’s a matter of when I go back, trying your best to keep your emotions in and compete and that’s something I’ll have to do for the rest of my career.”

Charlotte will play at Boston on April 12.

We have more on the Celtics:

Derrick White earned a $500K bonus by surpassing 185 three-pointers made this season, Bobby Marks of ESPN tweets. The bonus was deemed unlikely before the season, so Boston will have an additional $500K charged toward its team salary. White’s cap hit for 2024/25 is now adjusted to $20,071,429.
Jaylen Brown sat out Monday’s game against Charlotte due to a hand sprain, Jared Weiss of The Athletic tweets. The good news is the coach Joe Mazzulla said Brown’s injury is minor and he was held out as a precaution, Washburn tweets.
Sam Hauser had his second biggest output of the season against the Hornets in Boston’s 118-104 win. He knocked down seven three-pointers while scoring 25 points, Steve Reed of The Associated Press notes. Boston holds a club option on Hauser’s $2.09MM contract for next season. “I think just layers of our offense is what unleashes him,” Mazzulla said. “The guys understand that he’s a weapon in different ways, and so when we get to the second and third layer of our offense, especially when teams are guarding us a certain way, it really unleashes guys like Sam. And his teammates continuing to trust him and find him within the layers of our offense.”

Atlantic Notes: Embiid, Holiday, Hauser, Nets

March 31st, 2024 at 9:30pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Sixers All-Star center Joel Embiid is now traveling with club as he continues to progress toward an on-court comeback, writes Gina Mizell of The Philadelphia Inquirer. The reigning MVP has rejoined the team for the first time since undergoing surgery to address a meniscus injury in early February.

Mizell adds (via Twitter) that, per head coach Nick Nurse, Embiid took part in a light practice Saturday on the road in Toronto. Nurse indicated that the club “geared” some of the workout toward the recuperating big man.

Here’s more from around the Atlantic:

Celtics guard Jrue Holiday has now earned his $354,960 minutes-played bonus for the 2023/24 season, reports Bobby Marks of ESPN (Twitter link). The two-time All-Star has submitted another All-Defensive season during his first year in Boston, though he has taken a step back as a scorer. Nevertheless, Holiday has been an essential component of the top-seeded Celtics’ perimeter attack. According to Marks, this is the seventh straight season that the veteran has reached the minutes played benchmark (2,075) required for this bonus.
The Celtics have a cost-effective team option on reserve sharpshooter Sam Hauser for 2024/25. In his latest mailbag, Brian Robb of MassLive.com predicts that Hauser could earn a salary in the range of the mid-level exception if he becomes an unrestricted free agent in 2025.
The Nets’ recent improvement on defense looks like something the club might be able to develop further in the future, writes Jared Schwartz of The New York Post. As Schwartz writes, the team’s 111.7 defensive rating since the All-Star break is the No. 11 mark in the NBA, a huge improvement from its 116.8 rating prior to the break.

Atlantic Notes: Celtics, Jeffries, Diakite, Walker, Dinwiddie

March 25th, 2024 at 8:04pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Celtics’ bench has turned into a strength during their current hot streak, Jay King of The Athletic writes.

Over the last nine games, Payton Pritchard has averaged 13.9 points and 5.8 assists per game while shooting 47.0% from the field. Meanwhile, Sam Hauser has made 21 three-pointers over his past three games entering Monday’s action. Al Horford, Luke Kornet, Xavier Tillman and Oshae Brissett have also delivered impactful performances.

We have more from the Atlantic Division:

DaQuan Jeffries’ contract with the Knicks, which he signed on Monday, runs through the end of this season with a team option for 2024/25, Fred Katz of The Athletic tweets. Mamadi Diakite’s contract with the Knicks, also signed on Monday, runs through next season too, but the 2024/25 salary is non-guaranteed rather than a team option, Katz adds (Twitter link).
Lonnie Walker‘s minutes have dropped since Kevin Ollie was named the Nets’ interim coach but he’s trying to keep a positive attitude, according to NetsDaily.com. “I don’t think it negatively affects me. You might have your ups and downs, your days where you might not feel as much,” Walker said. “But for the most part, I got a great family around me that really supports me and I understand that there’s light at the end of the tunnel.” Walker will be an unrestricted free agent after the season.
Spencer Dinwiddie was given very little leeway by former Nets coach Jacque Vaughn before he was dealt and later joined the Lakers, according to Shams Charania. Speaking on the Run It Back program (video link), Charania said Dinwiddie “was essentially told in Brooklyn: No pick and rolls, no isolations.”

Celtics Notes: Holiday, Hauser, Pritchard, White

March 22nd, 2024 at 9:37pm CST by Rory Maher

Boston has all but secured the No. 1 seed in the East, holding an 11-game lead on second-place Milwaukee with 12 games left on the team’s schedule.

As Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe writes (subscription required), the Celtics have been resting some of their top players over the past week to be cautious — for example, Jayson Tatum missed Friday’s game vs. Detroit with what was officially called a right ankle impingement, but there’s no indication it’s anything serious.

However, veteran guard Jrue Holiday, who missed his third straight game on Friday with a sprained right AC joint in his shoulder, does not fall into that category. Holiday tells Himmelsbach he’s been experiencing “dead arm” following a hard screen from Wizards center Richaun Holmes last Sunday (Twitter video link).

The two-time All-Star has been getting treatment for the injury, which requires rest to heal, per Himmelsbach. While Holiday says he’s starting to feel better, there’s no timeline for his return. Despite the team’s sizeable lead in the standings, he’s eager to get back on the court.

“I still want to play,” Holiday said. “That’s part of the reason I play basketball. But it’s also keeping rhythm. Sometimes when you’re out for a long time you break rhythm, but I feel like I’ve been in a good groove and I want to continue to play.”

Here’s more on the Celtics:

Backup forward Sam Hauser missed a couple games with an ankle sprain he sustained vs. Washington, but he returned to action in Friday’s victory, Himmelsbach adds in the same story. The third-year sharpshooter says he was relieved the injury wasn’t more serious. “It didn’t feel great, that’s for sure,” he said. “I didn’t know what to expect or how it was going to feel in the days to come, but it’s felt pretty good throughout the week.”
Giving Payton Pritchard a four-year, $30MM rookie scale extension last offseason is looking like a shrewd decision by the Celtics, according to Brian Robb of MassLive, who says the fourth-year guard has outperformed that deal this season, though the extension doesn’t begin until 2024/25. “Payton’s been great, and I’m not surprised, to be honest,” Jaylen Brown said. “Some guys just got a certain mentality they carry themselves with. Payton is somebody you don’t worry about. Even in the lowest of times he’s a hard worker and his mindset is phenomenal in terms of a relentless, never-give-up warrior-type mentality. So you put him out there, I’m not surprised at anything we’re seeing now. It’s just now the work is coming to fruition.” Pritchard has been logging major minutes of late with Holiday injured and is arguably playing his best basketball of the season.
Guard Derrick White met the 65-game criteria for postseason awards on Friday, tweets ESPN’s Bobby Marks. White earned a spot on the All-Defensive Second Team in 2022/23 and is having another excellent campaign. White has three pending bonuses, Marks notes — the 29-year-old will earn $250K if he makes another All-Defensive team, $500K if he makes at least 185 threes (he’s currently at 172), and $500K if he appears in 70 games.
Robb of MassLive lists four takeaways from Friday’s blowout victory, including a big night for Brown, who finished with 33 points on 13-of-19 shooting.

Celtics Notes: Hauser, Pritchard, Tatum, Porzingis

March 18th, 2024 at 10:41am CST by Arthur Hill

Celtics forward Sam Hauser appears to have escaped serious injury after stepping on the foot of a Wizards player during Sunday’s game, a source tells Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe. X-rays on Hauser’s left ankle came back negative, according to Himmelsbach’s source. His status for tonight’s game against Detroit hasn’t been determined, but he isn’t expected to be out of action long.

Hauser was on the verge of a historic night when the injury occurred early in the third quarter. He was 10-of-13 from beyond the arc, leaving him one short of the franchise record for three-pointers in a game and four away from Klay Thompson‘s league mark. Coach Joe Mazzulla recognizes what a dangerous shooter he has in Hauser, who’s connecting at 43.2% from long distance this season and is typically one of the team’s most durable players, writes Brian Robb of MassLive.

“I loved his confidence, loved his aggressiveness, loved how guys look for him and I love how he got his shots within the flow of our execution,” Mazzulla said. “And that’s the weapon that he is, his ability to just put two on the ball, his ability to create open shots for himself and for other people, so it was fun to watch him shoot him. It was fun to watch his guys look for him.”

There’s more from Boston:

Payton Pritchard registered his first double-double of the season, posting 14 points and 13 assists in the win over Washington, notes Souichi Terada of MassLive. Pritchard was vocal about his lack of playing time last season, but he has settled into a regular reserve role after signing a four-year extension last summer. “I think Payton really, amongst our season, has been kind of underrated and the growth that he’s had as a player,” Mazzulla said. “His ability to play with the ball, his ability to play without the ball. He’s finding ways without scoring to highly impact the game, whether it’s his assists or with his defense or his rebounding.”
With the top seed in the East all but wrapped up, the Celtics will likely rest their stars a little over the last month of the season, but it won’t be easy to convince Jayson Tatum to go along with that plan, per Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports Boston (video link). “I’ve been here seven years. They understand kind of what they’re dealing with,” Tatum said. “I don’t like to sit out. I understand if I was injured or whatever, but I said it before, I just love to play the game.”
Wizards interim coach Brian Keefe is impressed by the development of Kristaps Porzingis, Himmelsbach adds in a separate piece. Keefe was with the Knicks when they drafted Porzingis in 2014 and was tasked with helping him get ready for the NBA. Keefe also coached him last season as an assistant in Washington. “He’s grown tremendously,” Keefe said. “This is kind of what we probably all envisioned when we first had him. The guy was so versatile, could play multiple different positions inside and outside. I’m thrilled that he’s having a great year this year.” Porzingis missed his fifth straight game Sunday due to hamstring soreness, but he worked out on the court prior to the game and may return to action tonight.

Atlantic Notes: Achiuwa, Hart, Anunoby, Porzingis, Celtics

March 14th, 2024 at 10:59pm CST by Tristan Tucker

Knicks forward Precious Achiuwa has impressed in the midst of several injuries to key players like Julius Randle, starting 18 straight games and averaging 12.5 points, 9.5 rebounds, 1.1 steals and 1.8 blocks per night. He returned to the bench as the team got healthier on Tuesday, but remained productive, registering 12 points, eight boards and two blocks against Philadelphia.

As observed by Newsday’s Steve Popper (subscriber link) and as we previously noted, it’s been a pleasant homecoming for Achiuwa, who moved to New York from Nigeria in eighth grade and played some high school ball there.

“It was a very, very cool moment for me,” Achiuwa said. “Inner city kid, growing up in the city, of course, hearing about the Knicks, seeing the games and stuff. Now, being able to represent the city on that platform is really huge. Seeing how the city accepted me and just me being there in that particular moment was very nostalgic in a way. It was a crazy moment for sure.

“This is the best I’ve played in a really really long time.”

While Achiuwa’s play is exciting, Stefan Bondy of the New York Post writes New York may soon have a difficult decision to make. Achiuwa’s a restricted free agent this offseason and while his current projected $8-10MM valuation is more than reasonable for his production, Mitchell Robinson, due $14.3MM next season, is under contract. Additionally, Isaiah Hartenstein, who has taken over the starting job in the wake of Robinson’s injury, will become an unrestricted free agent.

Assuming the Knicks re-sign OG Anunoby, bringing back both Hartenstein – who could get a contract with an annual value around $13-14MM – and Achiuwa would send New York into the luxury tax, Bondy observes. While those salary projections seem safe for now, Bondy writes, it’s possible each Hartenstein and Achiuwa get more money than expected in a relatively weak frontcourt free agent class.

We have more from the Atlantic Division:

Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau defied his own trend of playing one lead guard, two wings, a power forward and a center when he transitioned to a position-less lineup in Anunoby’s return, Bondy writes in a member-only New York Post article. As Bondy observes, Anunoby played alongside Josh Hart in the starting lineup, and that duo has the NBA’s best net rating among two players with at least 241 minutes together (+37.7). “I like that versatility, and we thought that was one of the big reasons why we wanted OG, was what he would bring to the team,” Thibodeau said. “So I think it’s a huge plus for us.“
Kristaps Porzingis missed his fourth straight game for the Celtics on Thursday, but head coach Joe Mazzulla gave a promising update on the star before the game, according to MassLive’s Brian Robb. “He’s progressing well,” Mazzulla said. “He was on the court today earlier, just working out with the guys. Don’t have an official timeline, but he’s getting better and better.“
Boston’s starters have gotten plenty of credit for the Celtics‘ success this season, but the bench has played a pivotal, yet understated role this year, according to NBC Sports Boston’s Chris Forsberg. The bench unit including Sam Hauser, Payton Pritchard and Luke Kornet have outscored opponents by 219 points on the year, the best in the NBA. In-season addition Xavier Tillman has also been a key contributor as of late.
In case you missed it, the Sixers are signing Kai Jones to a 10-day contract. Get the details here.