Boston Celtics sharpshooter Sam Hauser has a team option built into his contract for the next season in 2024-25 that’s inked for just over $2 million. Assuming Boston picks this up, Hauser will become an unrestricted free agent in the 2025-26 offseason.

At the end of the 2021-22 season, Hauser’s two-way contract was converted to a standard deal so that he would be with Boston and also be eligible for the playoffs. A few months later in the offseason, the Celtics would re-sign Hauser to a three-year deal worth $5.6 million.

Hauser provides the Celtics with a necessary skill that they don’t have without him and one that is very much needed in today’s NBA as a true shooting threat. The way he’s able to get shots up from anywhere on the court and his abilities as a movement shooter is invaluable for this Celtics team.

In addition, Hauser’s shooting creates space on the court in ways that opposing defenses will make a decision that causes someone to be left wide open. It’s oftentimes been Hauser in this situation when he’s on the court with any of the starters.

Hauser is averaging 46.5 percent on 3-pointers this season on 5.7 attempts per game and has a career average of 46.0 percent from deep. He’s connecting on 49.5 percent on corner 3-point attempts, which is his highest percentage from any range on the court.

The underrated part to Hauser is that he’s not a liability on the defensive end. He holds his own and switches well, not to mention he was even atop the NBA just last month in defensive rating.

Hauser will be 28-years-old when he becomes an unrestricted free agent for the first time in his career and should be right in the heart of his prime.

Boston will need to do what they can to retain Hauser moving forward, as he is a legitimate weapon for this team.

In the near future, Boston will need to prepare for a Jayson Tatum supermax contract, making a decision on a Derrick White re-signing, and a Jrue Holiday player option. But Hauser should also be a top priority for the Celtics.

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