On Thursday, March 20, Bill Chisholm agreed to purchase the Boston Celtics for $6.1 million. As part of the deal, he will inherit a team with an eye-watering salary bill.
Including luxury taxes, the Celtics are estimated to cost almost $500 million in salaries next season. As such, there are no questions as to whether Chisholm will instruct Brad Stevens to get the salary bill back under control during the summer.
According to ESPN’s Bobby Marks, one player who could fall casualty to the Celtics’ ever-rising costs is Sam Hauser.
“They are a luxury tax team next year…However, although you may be paying around $500 million in payroll, you’ve got 11 players under contract for next year…That’s where this new CBA comes into play,” Marks said. “Because what the commissioner has done is say, ‘You can have some toys, but you can’t have all the toys.’ And those toys are Payton Pritchard and Sam Hauser. Here’s a number for you: by keeping Sam Hauser, his first year of that extension, he’s worth $90 million when you look at his $10 million salary and the $80 million in luxury tax penalties that come with it. If they’re looking at shedding some of that money, which would be Sam Hauser.”
Hauser is one of the best sharpshooters in the NBA. He can score off the catch, off the bounce, of via movement such as curling or flaring off screens. This season, Hauser has also shown a vast improvement in his ability to attack closeouts off the dribble, leading to additional opportunities at the rim.
Celtics’ Baylor Scheierman Could Replace Hauser
The Celtics selected Baylor Scheierman with the 30th pick in the 2024 NBA draft. The Creighton product has spent most of the season with the Maine Celtics. However, he did have a breakout performance against the Brooklyn Nets on March 18, as he dropped 20 points off the bench.
“He’s got a high level of toughness to him,” Mazzulla said. “He’s got a good basketball IQ. To me, it’s just the consistency and the patience. You can’t get discouraged. You’re not defined by one day, two days. It’s really just a process. And there’s the small moments that you have to take advantage of, and all those guys have taken advantage in different moments. Tonight, it was his night. He did a great job, and just got to continue to work.”
Scheierman isn’t a straight replacement for Hauser. The rookie is a much better playmaker, rebounder and connector. However, his perimeter shooting is nowhere near the level that Hauser brings. Still, if Stevens is forced into making a tough decision, Scheierman’s presence could spell trouble for Hauser.
Celtics Expected to Win Another Championship
One way Chisholm could be convinced to pay the half-a-billion dollar salaries and luxury taxes is by the Celtics winning a second-straight championship later this season. According to Gordon Hayward, who was speaking to DJ Siddiqi of Basketball Insiders for an exclusive interview, Boston is still the favorite to hoist the Larry O’Brien trophy.
“I’ll just take the easy answer here and say Celtics-Thunder and Celtics repeat as champions,” Hayward said. “Just watching from afar, they appear to be in cruise control mode. I personally think they’re still the favorites. I think that come playoff time — and I spoke earlier about the experience you get in the playoffs — they certainly have that experience. No doubt winning last year, but even the experiences when I was there with (Tatum) and (Brown), losing in the playoffs, those are big deals. Those are the things you can’t teach and things that you have to go through.”
For now, all the Celtics can do is focus on the task in front of them. However, the upcoming offseason is going to tell us a lot about how much Chisholm is willing to spend in search of success. Unfortunately, Celtics fans may not want an answer to that question.
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