According to reports, the Miami Heat are making a change to their backcourt, acquiring Charlotte Hornets guard Terry Rozier in exchange for Kyle Lowry and a protected 2027 1st round pick.
Rozier is currently in the midst of one of the best seasons of his NBA career, averaging 23.2pts/6.6ast/3.9reb/1.1stl per game while shooting .459 from the field. With the NBA trade deadline approaching on February 8th, the Hornets (10-31) are likely to become sellers as they seek to retool their struggling roster. The 2027 protected pick becomes an unprotected pick in 2028 according Adrian Wojnarowski.
It’s unlikely that Lowry, 37, and his $29.6M expiring contract will be with the Hornets for long as Charlotte will look to flip him to another club for assets, and failing that will look to explore a buyout in the coming weeks.
Despite having a top 3 pick in two of the last four NBA Drafts, the Hornets have failed to emerge from their seemingly never ending rebuild as they inch closer to their 8th straight year of missing the playoffs. With a new ownership in place, it’s likely that any player not named LaMelo Ball or Brandon Miller will be available ahead of the trade deadline.
Because of the trade, Miami now has a $6.4M trade exception to utilize, while also saving $15.4M in luxury tax on the year. Rozier, 29, joins a starting rotation that features Tyler Herro, Jimmy Butler, Caleb Martin, and Bam Adebayo, while also helping the veteran heavy Heat roster become younger in the process as well.
The Youngstown, OH, native brings plenty of playoff experience to the table, having logged 50 games, and 1,234 minutes of postseason action with the Boston Celtics between 2016 and 2019. A point that was no doubt a huge factor in Miami’s interest given their recent run of playoff success.
Rozier previously signed a 4 year, $96.25M deal with the Hornets, and will be under contract until 2026, giving the Heat some cost assurance in their new acquisition.
Miami is next in action against the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday evening at 7:30pm ET, though it’s unclear if their new guard will suit up for the contest at this time.
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