Second-year forward Sam Hauser has agreed to a three-year contract with the Celtics worth approximately $6 million, a league source told the Globe on Sunday. The first two years of the deal are fully guaranteed, the source said.
The Celtics signed the sharpshooter from Virginia to a two-way contract last summer, and in February the deal was converted to an NBA contract after a collection of trades opened up several roster spots. Last week, Boston declined Hauser’s $1.6 million option for next season and made him a restricted free agent, making this multi-year deal possible.
Hauser appeared in 26 games for the Celtics last season, averaging 2.5 points and 1.1 rebounds while shooting 43.2 percent from the 3-point line. He also played in 10 games with Boston’s G League affiliate, the Maine Celtics, and averaged 16.9 points while connecting on 43.3 percent of his 3-pointers.
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Internally, there’s real optimism that Hauser can become a regular rotation player next season. The 6-foot-8 forward is expected to join Boston’s Las Vegas summer league roster this week.
“First and foremost, the shooting stands out,” coach Ime Udoka said in April. “Elite shooter . . . But he’s a very cerebral player across the board. He’s fit in well in games that he’s played early in the season when guys were injured. He plugged right in and he didn’t really miss a beat as far as, defensively, and some of the things we were looking for. So, always in the right spot, great team defender and knows how to use himself, his angles and a cerebral guy, not just offensively but defensively as well.”
On Friday, the Celtics agreed to acquire guard Malcolm Brogdon from the Pacers in exchange for Daniel Theis, Aaron Nesmith, Malik Fitts, Nik Stauskas, Juwan Morgan, and the team’s 2023 first-round pick. Also, Spurs forward Danilo Gallinari indicated that he will sign a two-year, $13 million deal with Boston after clearing waivers, and center Luke Kornet agreed to re-sign on a two-year deal.
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After re-signing Hauser, Boston will still have three empty roster spots, with rookie second-round draft pick JD Davison a strong candidate to fill one.
Adam Himmelsbach can be reached at adam.himmelsbach@globe.com. Follow him @adamhimmelsbach.