Celtics Forward Reacts to Constantly Being in Trade Rumors

Jun 6, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics forward Sam Hauser (30) and guard Jaylen Brown (7) react in the first quarter against the Dallas Mavericks during game one of the 2024 NBA Finals at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images | David Butler II-Imagn Images

A champion Boston Celtics forward has responded to being constantly floated in trade rumors this summer.

Sharpshooting swingman Sam Hauser has the exact kind of contract that is veritable catnip for trade chatter. The 27-year-old is in the first season of a four-year, $45 million extension deal he inked with Boston, fresh off winning it all in the summer of 2024. He's netting $10 million this year.

A career 42 percent 3-point shooter on 4.9 triple tries a night, the 6-foot-8 Virginia product is the kind of combo forward marksman who should in theory hold lots of appeal to rival teams.

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Hauser's not out of the woods yet.

The 27-year-old could help build out the perimeter depth for any contender, and with Boston looking to potentially dip below the NBA's restrictive first luxury tax apron as Jayson Tatum recovers from an Achilles tendon rupture, it's conceivable that Hauser could be on the move at some point this season.

Per Noa Dalzell of Celtics Blog, Hauser did his darnedest to avoid listening to all the trade noise over the summer — but he wasn't always wholly successful in doing that.

Sam Hauser said it was hard to block out the trade rumor noise over the summer but that he wouldn’t have had any hard feelings if the Celtics had traded him:

“They’ve given me an opportunity when nobody else did.”

“But I’m happy I’m here, to say the least.” pic.twitter.com/YBfuDkwvIo

— Noa Dalzell 🏀 (@NoaDalzell) September 29, 2025

"You try to black it out, but you really can't, to be honest with you." Hauser conceded during his media day press conference on Monday. "I know it's part of the business so I was prepared for whatever. If I was going to get shipped, great."

Again, given Hauser's relatively affordable salary and one key skillset, he likely would have been pursued by a contender, so wherever he landed would probably have still given him an opportunity to compete.

"Now, I stayed — thankfully, glad to be here," Hauser said. "They’ve given me an opportunity when nobody else did. They extended me. So they had to do what they had to do, and I understood. But I’m glad I'm here, to say the least.”

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Four of Hauser's key championship-winning teammates weren't so lucky.

Team president Brad Stevens traded away starters Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis this summer, while letting backup big men Al Horford and Luke Kornet depart in free agency.

High Upside for Hauser This Year?

Hauser could enjoy a few more touches this year as Tatum recovers. He averaged 21.7 minutes a game in 2024-25, and likely will get a bigger rotation role this year.

In 71 healthy bouts last season (19 starts), Hauser averaged 8.5 points on .451/.416/1.000 shooting splits, 3.2 rebounds, 0.9 assists and 0.6 steals per.

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