The Boston Celtics are keeping another rotation player from their NBA championship team for an extended period, agreeing to a four-year, $45 million contract extension with Sam Hauser, a league source confirmed to MassLive.
The move was first reported by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
The Celtics have been aggressive this summer, locking down their core from the 2024 title team. They already had exercised their $2.1 million option on Hauser for 2024-25, but he was in line to become an unrestricted free agent in 2025. Instead, he joins Jayson Tatum and Derrick White with long-term contract extensions this summer. Jaylen Brown, Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porzingis and Payton Pritchard already had long-term deals. Al Horford, 38, is the only rotation player not under a multi-year contract.
Hauser is coming off a career-best season in which he played 79 games (13 starts), averaging 9.0 points and 3.5 rebounds in 22.0 minutes per game. Notably, the sharpshooter knocked down 42.4% of his 3-pointers on 5.9 attempts per game.
Between the salary cap, luxury tax and Collective Bargaining Agreement, the Celtics’ roster is going to cost the team a lot of money down the line. As of now, the projected payroll for the 2025-26 season is roughly $225 million, which would come with a historic $210 million luxury tax bill.
CAVALIERS: Cavaliers forward Evan Mobley has agreed to a five-year, $224 million contract extension with Cleveland, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press.
Mobley has blossomed into one of the NBA’s brightest young stars since being drafted with the No. 3 overall pick in 2021.
The 23-year-old’s new deal could be worth up to $269 million if he reaches incentives, said the person who spoke on condition of anonymity because terms have not been finalized.
Mobley’s agents, Joe Smith and Thad Foucher, first told ESPN about the extension. The sides have been talking about a deal for weeks.
Mobley’s agreement is the latest positive development this summer for the Cavs, who after hiring Kenny Atkinson as coach signed All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell to a three-year, $150.3 million extension.
Mitchell and Mobley are the main pieces in a Cleveland core that helped the Cavs win a total of 99 games the past two seasons. They made it to the second round of the playoffs in 2023-24 before being eliminated by the eventual champion Boston Celtics in five games.
Mobley has averaged 15.6 points, 8.8 rebounds and 2.8 assists in his first three seasons as a pro. The former USC standout is already one of the league’s premiere defensive players, and the Cavs are hoping he’ll further develop his offensive game.
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