Could the Boston Celtics trade Sam Hauser before the trade deadline?

Throughout the summer, Brad Stevens made some tough choices as he looked to get the Boston Celtics below the second luxury-tax apron. Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porzingis, Luke Kornet and Al Horford were all allowed to leave, either via trade or in free agency. However, the Celtics are still a first-apron luxury tax team. Therefore, if Stevens aims to continue cutting costs, another trade is the most likely approach.

On paper, the most logical trade candidate is Anfernee Simons. He's on an expiring contract and only joined the team as part of the deal that sent Holiday to the Portland Trail Blazers. Nevertheless, Sam Hauser's tradeable contract means that he's also viewed as a potential cost-saving casualty. Hauser, one of the best sharpshooters in the NBA, has been floated in trade talks by sections of the fanbase for months.

In a recent episode of the "How 'Bout Them Celtics?" podcast, hosts Jack Simone and Sam LaFrance debated whether Hauser could emerge as a genuine trade asset for the Celtics as we get closer to the Feb. 5 trade deadline. There would likely be a larger trade market for Hauser due to his team-friendly contract, which has multiple years to run.

You can watch the full podcast episode by clicking on the embedded video above.

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This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: Could the Celtics trade Sam Hauser before the trade deadline?