Charlotte Hornets Rumors: Terry Rozier nearly signed with Knicks, Suns
Before inking a three-year, $58 million contract with the Charlotte Hornets, Terry Rozier thought he would sign with either New York or Phoenix.
After it became apparent that Kemba Walker was going to leave the Charlotte Hornets and join the Boston Celtics, fans were left devastated and the point guard position in Charlotte was in question. Things changed when the Hornets were able to quickly swoop in and nab Terry Rozier as a part of a sign-and-trade with Boston.
At least the Hornets managed to get something in exchange for Walker, the franchise star for the past eight years. Rozier, who was one of the more intriguing free agents out there after his up-and-down four years in Boston, is a good consolation prize for the Hornets.
Before eventually agreeing to sign with Charlotte, however, Rozier had received offers from New York and Phoenix. According to Bleacher Reports Jonathan Abrams, Rozier was primed to sign with the Suns after heavily considering an offer from the Knicks.
Abrams adds that later in the day, Michael Jordan hopped on board and eventually gave Rozier an offer that he ultimately couldn’t refuse. It was then official, Terry Rozier was the new starting point guard in town for the Charlotte Hornets.
My Co-Expert here on Swarm and Sting, Giovanni Spillman, talked about what Rozier will bring to this Hornets team in this article:
Phoenix has been in desperate need of a point guard since they traded Eric Bledsoe to Milwaukee back in 2017. They have had interest in Rozier in the past, and he would have been an interesting fit with that young group. In the end, Rozier ended up in Charlotte while the Suns pivoted and came to an agreement with former Utah Jazz point guard Ricky Rubio.
As for the Knicks, they offered Rozier a one-year deal, accoding to Abrams. It would have been an opportunity for Rozier to bet on himself and command a bigger contract during free agency in 2020. New York was very active in free agency, but not in the way that their fans were hoping for.
In the end, it was Charlotte who ended up with Rozier’s services. He still has a lot to prove, but Rozier has the ultimate opportunity with the Hornets. He’ll be the starting point guard for the first time in his career, play a ton of minutes and have a ton of shots coming his way. This is what he has been waiting for after playing behind All-Stars in Isaiah Thomas and Kyrie Irving.
Rozier has career averages of 7.7 points and 3.6 rebounds on 38 percent shooting. The best stretch of his young career came in the 2018 NBA Playoffs, where he led the Celtics to Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals while averaging 16.5 points, 5.3 rebounds and 5.7 assists.
Rozier now leads a young core in Charlotte that features the likes of Miles Bridges, Dwayne Bacon and Malik Monk. The Hornets will likely struggle during the 2019-20 season, but it will be exciting to see what these young players can do with an increased workload.
Next. Kupchak has always coveted Jodie Meeks. dark
The Charlotte Hornets have been criticized for the contract they gave Rozier, but in the end, it could all work out. If Rozier has the season that I expect him to have, he could very well end up being worth that amount of money. We’ll see if he can lead them to success in the future.