The New Orleans Pelicans' offseason is finally starting to get spicy. With reports coming out that the front office is one of the teams interested in Boston Celtics’ superstar Jaylen Brown, the rumor mill and trade machine are running rampant in the Big Easy.
To this point, I’ve seen several combinations for a potential package that would send Brown to New Orleans, but this is by far the most realistic.
In every Jaylen Brown trade scenario, New Orleans would be forced to part with Trey Murphy III. This has led a large portion of Pelicans fans to push back against a trade with Boston, not just because Murphy III is a homegrown talent, but also because he is the team's only consistent floor spacer. However, when looking at the proposal, I came up with Boston isn’t only sending over their MVP candidate, they’re also including Sam Hauser in the deal.
Since arriving in the NBA, Hauser has been put on the floor for one main reason: he is an unbelievable three-point shooter. To the general NBA world, getting Brown would be the thing that steals headlines, and rightfully so. That said, getting Hauser is the type of sneaky addition that would have fans mid-season saying no way we got this guy on top of a top-10 player in the league.
Hauser could be the steal of a JB trade
There’s no doubt that acquiring Brown this offseason would change things for the Pelicans. Obviously, it would finally give them a true 1A No. 1 option, but at the same time it would instantly make them a worse three-point shooting team. While Brown is an effective floor spacer, shooting 34.6 percent from three this season, it isn’t a huge part of his game the same way it is for Murphy III. So getting Hauser in a deal is almost a must for Joe Dumars and Troy Weaver.
Sure, there’s always going to be quality shooters in free agency, given the Pelicans finished with less than 30 wins, there are other things that need to be focused on in free agency.
This past season, Hauser’s three-point percentage took a slight dip from his career average of 41.2 percent to 39.3 percent. He paired those splits with 9.2 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game.
Outside of an effortless, what some may even call flawless jump shot off both the catch, the dribble, and the clutch, Hauser has a lot more to his game than just being a 6-foot-7 spacer. As reflected in rebounding stats for his position, and as someone who hangs out mostly on the perimeter is a solid rebounder. Defensively, especially early in his career, teams would try to force him into isolation, but he always fought hard and used his length well on that side of the floor.
Out of players to appear in 50 or more games for the Celtics this past regular season, Hauser ranks fifth on the team in defensive rating.
I’m all for the Pelicans trading for Jaylen Brown, and I’ve made that abundantly clear. Trading for a top-10 player is always going to be a win in my book, but that doesn't mean there aren't concerns, as there are with any other trade. The majority of those worries stem from spacing concerns and how a Brown-Zion pairing would work with no real shooters. Sam Hauser being thrown into the deal would change all of that and ease things, as he is the type of shooter and player that any contending team needs.
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