Could the Charlotte Hornets trade for Terry Rozier?
With Terry Rozier unhappy with his playing time in Boston, could the Charlotte Hornets trade for the disgruntled guard?
It’s no secret that the Charlotte Hornets are committed to making the playoffs this season. However, if the team is playing poorly at the half-way point of the season, it wouldn’t be surprising to see them make a move of some sort.
That move could, perhaps, be trading for Boston Celtics guard Terry Rozier, who is reportedly upset with his playing time this season. The four-year pro out of Louisville will hit restricted free agency this upcoming summer, and with Boston likely re-signing Kyrie Irving, Rozier could be on his way out of Boston.
Rozier will be looking for minutes and money in free agency, two things that the Celtics can’t exactly offer compared to other teams. Boston will be tied-up in cap space and wouldn’t want to overpay for a backup.
He proved last season that when Irving was out with injury, he is a capable starting guard in this league, so maybe the Celtics will look to move him this season so they can get something in return for him. So, why the Hornets, you ask? Allow me to break it down.
Why the Hornets:
I know, the Hornets already have an All-Star guard in Kemba Walker, just like the Celtics do in Kyrie Irving. However, I could see Walker and Rozier starting and playing a lot of minutes together.
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Also, with Kemba Walker hitting free agency as well, Rozier would be good insurance to have in case of a potential Kemba departure. All signs have pointed to him wanting to remain in Charlotte, but the team could look to go in a different direction, especially if they miss the postseason again.
If moving on from Kemba were the case, you could then build around a young core of Terry Rozier, Malik Monk and Miles Bridges. Of course, the Hornets would have to re-sign Rozier, but you’d expect that to be the case if they trade for him.
Why not the Hornets:
The problem is that the Hornets have nowhere near the amount of trade assets compared to other teams. They have good young players, but I doubt they would trade them for Rozier. Other than that, they have a bunch of bad contracts, which is why they can be a tricky team to figure out.
Nicolas Batum is making $24 million this year. Bismack Biyombo is making $17 million and Marvin Williams is making over $14 million.
This makes them a hard trade partner for the Celtics. Although, I was able to come up with one trade on ESPN’s NBA Trade Machine:
Celtics get: Jeremy Lamb, Dwayne Bacon, protected first round pick.
Hornets get: Terry Rozier, Guerschon Yabusele, Semi Ojeleye.
Even though Boston may not have the upper handing in trading Rozier, considering he’ll be a free agent and teams know he wants out, the Celtics could probably do better than this trade.
Also. Marvin Williams moves to 3rd All-Time on Hornets 3-PT List. light
In conclusion, I do think it’s unlikely that the Hornets end up trading for Terry Rozier. Teams such as the Phoenix Suns and Orlando Magic are in dying need of a point guard, and could offer a lot more than Charlotte Hornets can.
But, hey, it never hurts to experiment.