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Boston Celtics point guard Terry Rozier is not having the year many envisioned him having coming into the 2018-19 campaign. After a solid season that was capped off by a playoff explosion a year ago, Rozier was expected to take the next step this season and become a player who could end up earning a contract of $15 million a year annually when he hits restricted free agency this coming summer.
But that has not happened.
If anything, Rozier has actually hurt his market value, as he is averaging just 8.5 points, four rebounds and 2.8 assists over 22.7 minutes per game while shooting 37.5 percent from the floor, 34.3 percent from three-point range and 77.8 percent from the free-throw line.
And over his last three games, Rozier has been beyond atrocious, going just 4-of-25 from the floor and scoring a total of 11 points. That is in stark contrast to last season's playoff run, when the 24-year-old became universally known as “Scary Terry” after registering 16.5 points, 5.7 assists, 5.3 boards and 1.3 steals per game.
Still, in spite of Rozier's rough go thus far this year, there will still be some teams interested in trading for the young floor general should the Celtics make him available. Let's go through a few:
Is there a player whom the Pelicans shouldn't be interested in at the deadline?
Let's face it: New Orleans is in panic mode right now. The red button has been pushed and the alarm is sounding. Anthony Davis' free agency is growing close and closer, and with rumblings getting stronger and stronger that he will not be with the franchise long term, the Pelicans need to start doing something to try and convince him to stay.
That's why New Orleans will likely be very active at the trading deadline and will be buying rather than selling even though it clearly is not a contender in the Western Conference.
Rozier certainly fits the bill as someone the Pelicans could be interested in, as they lack a point guard and didn't really seem to think things through when letting Rajon Rondo walk over the summer.
The Elfrid Payton experiment has not exactly worked out all that well for them, and Tim Frazier is nothing more than a decent bench player, at best.
New Orleans could look to deal for Rozier and then try to lock him up over the summer as a means of showing Davis that the Pels are committed to winning.
The Magic have expressed interest in Rozier before, and they are a team in desperate need of a point guard. Currently, Orlando has D.J. Augustin running the show, and while he is actually having a fine season, he is 31 years old and is not what you want if you are a rebuilding team.
The Magic actually need guards in general, as Evan Fournier is really their only reliable backcourt player moving forward. Both Augustin and Terrence Ross will likely be trade bait at the deadline, and it's not like they were going to be in Orlando all that long, anyway.
Where the Magic are strong is up front, as they are loaded with a bunch of young bigs with potential. As a matter of fact, one can argue that Orlando has a bit of a logjam there with Aaron Gordon, Mohamed Bamba, Jonathan Isaac and, of course, Nikola Vucevic, another guy who could be moved at the deadline.
Throw Rozier into the mix, and the Magic will suddenly have a decent group of young talent moving forward.
1. Phoenix Suns
Like Orlando, the Suns have reportedly talked to the Celtics about Rozier's services in the past, and if there is any team in the league that needs a point guard more than the Magic, it's Phoenix.
While things have been very bleak for the Suns in recent years, they actually have a reason to be excited for the future, as Deandre Ayton looks like a stud, Devin Booker has the makings of an elite scorer and T.J. Warren is just a really good all-around player.
There is a lot of young talent on this Phoenix team, and adding Rozier to the stable would make them even deeper in that area.
Rozier would also definitely fit a young Suns team that loves to push the ball in transition, something that veteran teams like the Celtics don't typically do as often.
The Suns also have numerous young pieces to entice Boston into making a deal, such as fellow floor general De'Anthony Melton and backup big man Dragan Bender, the latter of whom has been a colossal disappointment thus far.
