Terry Rozier’s position with the Charlotte Hornets remains debatable. Mitch Kupchak and the front office are planning to build the roster around LaMelo Ball. Finding young, talented players with genuine upside who fit LaMelo’s timeline will be integral for the Hornets to succeed during the LaMelo era.
As such, Rozier appears to be an odd man out. At 29 years old, Rozier is already outside of the Hornet’s timeline, and his four-year $96 million deal is seen as an intriguing trade chip. Having improved year-on-year since joining the Charlotte Hornets, Rozier’s stock around the NBA is high, primarily due to his scoring ability, both on and off the ball.
However, Rozier remains with the Hornets heading into the new season – despite multiple rumors linking him with a trade to a contending team such as the Los Angeles Lakers. Yet, with the NBA’s trade deadline not until February, there is always a chance we see the veteran guard heading for the exit before the end of the season.
According to James Piercey of NBA Analysis Network, the Lakers could still be in play for Rozier and could put together a package that would drastically improve Charlotte’s roster while also lessening the risk of losing Miles Bridges and/or P.J. Washington in free agency over the next 12 months.
Piercey’s trade proposal looks like this:
Charlotte Hornets get: Rui Hachimura, Jarred Vanderbilt
Los Angeles Lakers get: Terry Rozier
"“This deal would have to wait until midseason,” Piercey reasoned. “As a matter of fact, most of these deals will. The Lakers extended most of their logical trade chips this summer. For example, they won’t be able to trade Rui Hachimura until close to the deadline. That’s fine – the Lakers might as well wait. If Hachimura can build on a stellar playoff performance in 2022-23, the Lakers may not want to move him. On the other hand, Hachimura hasn’t been on that level throughout most of his career. If he can’t stay on that trajectory, the Lakers could look to move him.”"
On paper, this trade makes a lot of sense for the Hornets, but does it move the needle enough for the Lakers to have genuine interest?
Let’s take a look at this proposed trade from each team’s angle before settling on a grade.
Does the proposed Hornets/Lakers trade make sense for LA?
In his article, Piercey focused on the impact of Hachimura and why the Lakers may be tempted to retain him for the upcoming season. However, Vanderbilt was also an incredibly impactful player for the Purple and Gold during the postseason and became a big hit with both his teammates and the fanbase.
Losing one of Hachimura or Vanderbilt would be a big blow to the Lakers, especially mid-season – but trading away both of them in the same deal? It’s highly unlikely that Rob Pelinka would undo all the hard work he put in around the 2023 trade deadline. Even if the Lakers were willing to move on from their young forwards, Rozier’s fit with the roster isn’t the homerun it projected to be this time last year.
The Lakers recently inked D’Angelo Russell to a two-year $36 million deal. Rozier and Russell have similarities in their games which could make it difficult for the two to share the court together. Still, it’s worth noting that Russell’s deal has a player option for the 2024-25 season, whereas Rozier’s contract could run until the summer of 2026.
As such, Pelinka and the Lakers front office may view Rozier as a longer-term solution at the guard position and may be willing to part with some of their younger assets to bring him to Los Angeles.
Does the proposed Hornets/Lakers trade make sense for Charlotte?
Moving on from Terry Rozier while bringing back Hachimura and Vanderbilt would undoubtedly be a home run trade for the Charlotte Hornets. With the futures of Bridges and Washington still unclear, adding two legitimate talents who can thrive as part of a rotation would be the ideal result of moving on from Rozier.
Vanderbilt would instantly improve Charlotte’s perimeter defense, while Hachimura’s offensive diversity would provide LaMelo ball with a multi-level pick-and-roll partner. Furthermore, the floor spacing that both forwards would provide would ensure additional room for the Hornets’ slashers to get downhill and pressure the rim.
There would be some slight crossover with Brandon Miller, so it’s likely that Vanderbilt would assume a bench role behind the 2023 second-overall draft pick in the rotation, yet that type of strength in depth is something the Charlotte Hornets haven’t been able to call upon in recent seasons. Conversely, Steve Clifford could roll out a big lineup and have Miller at the two, Vanderbilt at the three, and Hachimura at the four, with LaMelo as the lead guard and Mark Williams at the five.
If the Lakers were to make a trade offer for Rozier with both Hachimura and Vanderbilt heading in the opposite direction, the Charlotte Hornets would be foolish not to accept the trade offer.
Grading the proposed Charlotte Hornets/Los Angeles Lakers trade
While the trade is ideal for the Hornets, considering the current situation they find themselves in with two of their primary forwards, it’s hard to envision the Lakers giving up so much for a guard who has a similar skillset to a player they already have on their roster. If Rob Pelinka were to make this trade, it would likely be because he’s lost faith in Rusell’s ability to lead a championship push.
Nevertheless, the price of Hachimura and Vanderbilt would surely be too much for the Lakers and would likely cause the trade discussions to end within minutes. With that in mind, it’s highly unlikely that the proposed deal would be successful, which obviously impacts the grade we can give it.
As such, Piercey’s proposed trade gets a C, not because it’s a bad trade, but due to the unlikelihood of it ever becoming a reality – even if it’s a move Charlotte Hornets fans could get behind and would love to see happen.
Final trade grade: C