The Miami Heat had been searching for ways to upgrade their backcourt talent around Tyler Herro. After gauging the trade market and leveraging former All-Star guard Kyle Lowry, the Heat have landed Terry Rozier from the Charlotte Hornets.
Rozier was traded to the Heat on Tuesday morning in a trade deadline deal that shouldn't come as much of a shock. The Heat have long been linked to Rozier, dating back to last season, and he fits the mold of an athletic guard who can help make a difference on both sides of the court. Best of all, from the Heat's perspective, Rozier will be able to take a significant amount of pressure off the backs of Bam Adebayo and Jimmy Butler on offense.
In addition to trading Lowry, who is making $29.6 million in the final year of his contract, the Heat sent a 2027 first-round pick to the Hornets. This pick is lottery-protected, meaning that Miami would retain their first-round pick in 2027 should it land in the 1-14 range. If this were to occur, they would instead send their 2028 first-round pick with no protections to the Hornets.
While many anticipate Lowry hitting the buyout market, Charlotte is expected to seek further deals using the veteran's contract ahead of the trade deadline, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.
The Hornets continue to rebuild and have made the first of what could be many moves to sell at this year's trade deadline. For the Heat, they once again put themselves in a position to contend in the Eastern Conference during the second half of the season.
Heat finally land Terry Rozier
Rozier has long been on the Heat's radar, and these feelings have been mutual. The Hornets guard has been searching for a change of scenery in order to play for a team that is vying for a playoff spot. Since joining the Hornets in 2019, Rozier has never once gone to the postseason. Now, the 29-year-old guard joins Butler and Adebayo on a quest to once again contend for a title in the Eastern Conference.
While they were the 8-seed in the East last year, the Heat were able to break through and make their second NBA Finals appearance in four seasons. Ultimately falling to the Denver Nuggets, Miami entered the offseason with question marks surrounding their offensive firepower, especially with Max Strus and Gabe Vincent departing in free agency.
Through the early portion of the year, the Heat struggled to find their identity on offense. At 24-19 entering Tuesday, the Heat rank 20th in the league in offensive rating and 26th in points per game. The need for another scoring weapon was apparent, hence the heavy interest in Rozier.
In the midst of his ninth NBA season, Rozier now embarks on a new journey with his third team. Through 30 games with the Hornets this season, Rozier was averaging 23.2 points, 6.6 assists, and 3.9 rebounds per game while shooting 35.8 percent from three-point range. In three games against the Heat this season, Rozier averaged 29.3 points and 9.0 assists per game, shooting 56.7 percent from three-point range against Miami.
The Heat will now have four players on their roster averaging at least 20 points per game this season. The arrival of Rozier will surely fill some of the gaps Miami has had on offense, allowing them to compete at the highest level possible.
Hornets continue questionable rebuild
It seems like the Hornets have been rebuilding for years. LaMelo Ball is a great all-around offensive talent in the backcourt, and rookie Brandon Miller figures to be a promising wing for years to come, but what are the Hornets actually planning?
This organization has not been to the playoffs since 2016. They continue to regress, and there is no stability on the Hornets roster. Always viewed as a team willing to give up talent instead of accumulating it, the Hornets seem to be on the verge of making internal changes with new ownership taking over for Michael Jordan.
Rozier being traded seems like the first domino to fall in Charlotte, as Gordon Hayward, P.J. Washington, Miles Bridges, and Nick Richards have all seen their names linked to both trade rumors and the buyout market.
At least they were able to land a future first-round pick for Rozier, one that could be of value should the Heat decline over the course of the next several years.
Grading Terry Rozier trade for Heat, Hornets
Kyle Lowry had become more of a liability than an asset for the Heat this season. His production had also continued to decline. Recently, the Heat moved Lowry to the bench, which drew speculation that the veteran was going to be on the move ahead of the trade deadline. After being on the trade block for quite some time, the Heat finally moved Lowry for an instant upgrade in their backcourt.
Rozier can be the primary scorer and facilitator on the court at any time, plus he's a threat to shoot from the perimeter off the ball. The best part about this trade for the Heat is that they give up a draft pick that really doesn't mean much to them now, as well as a veteran on an expiring contract, for an athletic talent who is hungry to win.
By sending Lowry to the Hornets, the Heat have also saved themselves over $15 million in luxury taxes, according to ESPN front office insider Bobby Marks. The Heat also created a $6.4 million traded player exception that they can possibly utilize in conjunction with their existing exceptions of $9.5 million, $7.2 million, and $4.5 million from prior trades.
All the Hornets get from this deal is a player on an expiring contract and a future draft asset. Perhaps they could have received more for a talent like Rozier, but this is what they have settled with just about two weeks from the trade deadline.
Even before Rozier and Lowry take the court with their new team, it's clear to see that the Heat won this trade by a mile.
Heat trade grade: A
Hornets trade grade: C-
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