Three Charlotte Hornets that tanked their trade value this season

Terry Rozier

How could a guy who is coming off a career-high in points per game and was the team’s leading scorer have tanked his trade value? One word, “efficiency”. Rozier’s efficiency plummeted this season. The 6’1 guard shot 32.7% from the three-point line—the lowest since his second season in the league. Combine that with the high volume of shots he took from deep (eight a game), and his effective field goal percentage plummeted. It was the lowest of his career since he became a full-time starter (48.4%).

It’s certainly not all Rozier’s fault. He was often tasked with guarding the opposition’s best perimeter player. And not playing alongside a great setup man like LaMelo Ball for most of the season certainly hurt Rozier. He was asked to create offense, not only for himself but for teammates that had sometimes not seen much NBA action at all—let alone shared the court with him before. And while his 5.1 assists per game were the most in his career, it was obvious that wasn’t the best use of considerable skills.

It’s precisely because he struggled without talent around him that likely sunk his trade value. On a team that could possibly win the NBA title (the sort of squad that would be willing to take on Rozier and his remaining $70+ million on his contract), he would be a reserve player—someone to run the offense while most of the starters sat. Or if he was traded to a team rebuilding and looking for a veteran presence (and needing to balance the money on a potential trade) he would be surrounded by novice hoopers. In either case, he showed this season that he would struggle.

Rozier was put with an impossible task. But it was the way that he responded that likely means that he will be with the Hornets for quite some time moving forward.