Terry Rozier Traded for Kyle Lowry, 2027 First-Round Pick
Yesterday it was announced that Charlotte Hornets shooting guard Terry Rozier was being traded to the Miami Heat in exchange for point guard Kyle Lowry and a 2027 first-round pick. The 2027 Miami first-round pick is lottery-protected in 2027, however, it is unprotected if the pick delays one draft to 2028. This trade will give the Miami Heat a valuable offensive asset that will help them to be one of the better teams in the Eastern Conference come playoff time this season and while this trade does take one of Charlotte’s best offensive scorers off their roster, it will help them prepare for the future and begin somewhat of a rebuild for the franchise as they know they should and can have a better record than 10-31 through 41 games.
Rozier was selected sixteenth overall in the 2015 NBA draft by the Boston Celtics. He played with the Boston franchise for four full seasons, having his best season with the Celtics during the 2017-2018 NBA season averaging slightly over 11 points a game, before he was traded to the Charlotte Hornets on a sign-and-trade deal with the Hornets point guard Kemba Walker in the summer of 2019. In this deal, Rozier also was awarded a new three-year nearly 57-million-dollar contract. In Rozier’s later years on the Celtics it became pretty evident that he could take on a bigger role should he go to a team with not nearly as much talent, which is why he was a very appealing target at the time to the Charlotte Hornets. Fortunately for the Hornets, he did not disappoint. In his first two seasons with the Hornets, he had the two best years of his career, averaging over 18 points in the 2019-2020 NBA season and then over 20 points in the 2020-2021 NBA season. This good play led the Hornets to give him four year, 97-million-dollar contract extension during the 2021 offseason.
Fast forward to this season while Rozier is having the best season statistically speaking of his career, averaging over 23 points and dropping nearly 7 dimes every night this season through 30 games played with Charlotte, it became clear lately to the NBA world with how bad the Hornets have played this season that Rozier’s time with the team was coming to a close. While some may argue this trade is a bad one for Charlotte, it does help them save a lot of money and receive a pick that will hopefully build a better future for the franchise. They get rid of Rozier’s nearly 75 million dollar guaranteed contract in exchange for Lowry’s nearly 30-million-dollar contract which runs out at the end of this season. With Rozier’s contract now out of the way, the Hornets will have more cap space than any other NBA team this year besides the Detroit Pistons. Lowry, who is now almost 38 years old and is nearing the end of his great NBA career, according to Charlotte Hornets general manager Mitch Kupchak, may not even play a game for the Hornets “out of respect for him,” as Charlotte is actively looking for a trade target for him. In fact there are rumors the Hornets also are only beginning thei trade deals ahead of the February 8 NBA trade deadline, as they are looking to build around point guard LaMelo Ball and rookie forward Brandon Miller by gathering hopefully young players and draft assets in any deals they receive in the coming days and weeks.
