‘Scary’ Terry Rozier is heading from the Queen City to the 305.
The Miami Heat are gearing up for the home stretch.
In an acquisition involving the Charlotte Hornets, the Heat are trading six-time All-Star guard Kyle Lowry and a protected 2027 first-round pick, in exchange for veteran floor general Terry Rozier, according to a number or reports on Tuesday. The compensation is lottery protected for 2027 and becomes unprotected in 2028, per Yahoo Sports’ Jake Fischer.
The Hornets do not have plans to reach a buyout agreement with Lowry. Instead, Charlotte is expected to work with him and his agent in an attempt to find another trade for his $29.6 million expiring contract prior to the February 8 deadline, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported. He could eventually become a contract buyout candidate, sources said.
Rozier and the Hornets agreed to a four-year, $97 million maximum contract extension ahead of the 2021-22 campaign that would have kept him tied to the franchise through 2026.
As the Hornets’ No. 1 option behind star LaMelo Ball, Rozier was a hot commodity, reportedly drawing attention from the Los Angeles Lakers, as well. He is averaging 23.2 points and 6.6 assists while shooting 45.9% from the field this season, all career highs.
The Louisville product started his career in ‘Bean Town’ with the Boston Celtics when he was selected with a first-round pick in the 2015 NBA Draft. After playing four seasons with the team, he went to the Hornets as part of the sign-and-trade deal that sent Kemba Walker to the Celtics ahead of the 2019-20 season.
Embed from Getty ImagesNow, Rozier, 29 years old, will join the Heat as they look to improve their position in the Eastern Conference. Following an unexpected run to the NBA Finals last season, where they lost to the Denver Nuggets, Miami sits at sixth in the East with a 24-19 record.
Rozier is capable of providing his new team with a much needed scoring punch, especially as a complement to Jimmy Butler. Miami was clearly looking to make a change, as head coach Erik Spoelstra recently moved Lowry out of the starting lineup amid trade rumors.
Lowry, 37 years-of-age, is averaging 8.2 points, four assists and 3.5 rebounds per game this season. As stated previously, he leaves the Heat during his third season with the club on an expiring contract
worth $29.7 million.
