Terry Rozier is persona non grata in the NBA at the moment, on account of being arrested as part of a widespread federal investigation into gambling and sports betting. But that hasn't stopped Bill Simmons from firing up the trade machine.
Despite Rozier being on an unpaid leave of absence as his case makes its way through the legal system, Simmons suggested the Miami Heat and Philadelphia 76ers get on the phones and discuss a trade, which involves Rozier, whose contract expires after this season, and Andrew Wiggins being shipped to Philly in exchange for Paul George.
“That Rozier trade, that contract is a wonderful asset magically out of nowhere,” Simmons' longtime friend Joe House said on ‘The Bill Simmons Podcast'. “Miami gets this incredible asset. I think Paul George could make sense in Miami. Why is Miami saying no, because of that third year of that contract?”
“Yeah,” Simmons replied. “Because you’re thinking, especially if you have Bam and you’re paying Herro, could you be in play for the Giannis types two years from now. Do you want to tie up your cap? And is Paul George demonstrably better than Andrew Wiggins? Is he going to be that much of an upside that it’s worth tying up your cap for a third year? And Philly doesn’t have picks.”
If this were to happen, trading for a player who may never again step foot on an NBA court and Wiggins, a useful but inconsistent wing, would certainly indicate that the 76ers desperately wanted to get off the $211.6 million deal they gave George a year ago. Whether that comes to fruition remains to be seen, but it's easy to see why they would want to do that.
George, who will turn 36 during the playoffs, has yet to play this season as he recovers from arthroscopic knee surgery over the summer. Meanwhile, first-round draft pick VJ Edgecombe has been a revelation; in the first four games of his career (all wins), he has averaged 22.3 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 5.5 assists while shooting 42.9% on 3-pointers.
While Edgecombe and George certainly could play together, the Sixers may decide against taking the ball out of the rookie's hands, especially as his chemistry with Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey improves. George, who was limited to 41 games last season, his first with the 76ers, is expected to make his season debut sometime over the next few weeks.
