The Charlotte Hornets have enjoyed a relatively quiet off-season. With most of their work done on draft night, Mitch Kupchak and the front office have abstained from making any big splashes in free agency or on the trade market.
However, according to James Piercy of NBA Analysis Network, there is a trade that the Hornets should consider making, and it would involve the 2022 Sixth Man of the Year teaming up with LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller for the upcoming season.
The trade looks like this:
Miami Heat get: Terry Rozier and Cody Martin
Hornets get: Tyler Herro
"“Rozier is the stronger dribble driver,” Piercy reasoned in his article. “He’s not as efficient off the ball. So, here’s the next question: what do the Heat need? They need a dribble driver. Rozier’s ability to penetrate and collapse the defense would serve this team well. Meanwhile, his relative lack of playmaking chops wouldn’t be an issue alongside Butler and Adebayo.”"
Rozier, 29, is about to enter the second year of his $96 million deal but doesn’t project to fit into the Hornets’ current timeline. With that in mind, Kupchak could likely be tempted into trading away one of Charlotte’s more tradable assets if he believes the return could improve the team both in the immediate and in the long term.
With that being said, let’s explore whether the trade makes sense for both sides.
Does the proposed Hornets/Heat trade make sense for Miami?
Tyler Herro has spent the majority of this off-season being discussed as a potential makeweight in a Damian Lillard trade. Until Lillard’s future is resolved one way or another, it’s unlikely that Miami moves on from Herro – who is arguably their most tradable asset.
However, if Miami does miss out on Lillard and he gets traded elsewhere, Rozier may be a legitimate secondary target. Since joining the Hornets, Rozier has grown into a reliable starting guard who can dictate the tempo of games and score across all three levels. In 268 regular-season games, Rozier is averaging 19.7 points, 4.5 assists, and 4.3 rebounds on 48.7% shooting from 2-Point range and 37.3% from 3-Point land.
Given Kyle Lowry’s decline and the lack of a true starting point guard on the roster following the loss of Gabe Vincent, Miami will certainly be scrambling to find a new ball-handler if Lillard doesn’t make his way to south beach. As such, Rozier makes a ton of sense for last season’s NBA Finalists – the fact that Cody Martin would also be part of the deal is a perfect sweetener, too.