Getty Lakers GM Rob Pelinka (left) and head coach Darvin Ham
The Los Angeles Lakers, who have the second-worst record in the Western Conference at 3-10, could trade for a $160 million guard.
In a November 17 column called, “NBA Rumors & Notes: Execs Size up Potential New Contract for Celtics Veteran,” Heavy.com senior insider Sean Deveney relayed quotes he received from an Eastern Conference executive about Charlotte Hornets point guard Terry Rozier. The exec told Deveney that Rozier has “fans” inside the Lakers organization.
“Rozier is a little tougher because he has the contract (first of a four-year, $96 million deal) but he has fans with the Lakers if they want to give up some picks,” the exec said to Deveney.
Rozier signed a four-year, $96.3 million extension with the Hornets in August 2021. The 28-year-old is making $21.5 million this year and will have earned more than $160 million in NBA money when his current contract ends following the 2025-26 season.
According to a September 16 report from Sam Amick and Jovan Buha of The Athletic, the Lakers discussed a four-team trade with the Utah Jazz, New York Knicks and Hornets before the Jazz traded All-Star shooting guard Donovan Mitchell to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Los Angeles would have acquired Rozier from Charlotte and Bojan Bogdanovic from Utah. The Jazz wound up trading Bogdanovic to the Detroit Pistons. The Lakers can still acquire Rozier, who is averaging 20.8 points, 4.8 rebounds and 5.4 assists this season.
Bleacher Report: Lakers Should Trade for Rozier
On October 31, Bleacher Report’s Erik Beaston wrote that the Lakers should trade Russell Westbrook to the Hornets for Rozier, who is a better shooter than Westbrook. Rozier shot 37.4% from beyond the arc last season and made 222 3-pointers.
“Sending Westbrook, a second player, perhaps an underwhelming Kendrick Nunn, and a future first-round draft pick to Charlotte for Rozier would not only get the Lakers their man, but also provide the Hornets with some salary cap relief,” Beaston wrote. “The idea of clearing some money off the books may be more valuable to Charlotte than a second pick. Rozier entered the season on the heels of the two best of his career and is currently averaging 23.5 points per game, though has only suited up twice for Charlotte this season. A better player than Westbrook at this point, he would provide the Lakers with the change the team needs if it hopes to shake off the sub-par start to the season and go on a comeback run. A starting lineup that pairs him, James, Davis, Lonnie Walker Jr. and, potentially, Patrick Beverley or Dennis Schroeder, is more appealing for Los Angeles if for no other reason than the energy the 28-year-old will bring to the table.
“Does he have the playoff experience that Westbrook does? No. Is he as consistently prolific as the former Most Valuable Player has been at times in his career? Also no, but it is abundantly clear that the Lakers have to find a way to offload Westbrook and bring in a star to replace him, hopefully revitalizing its roster and providing an offensive ignition that one of the worst-scoring teams in the league desperately needs.”
Rozier has career averages of 12.8 points, 3.9 rebounds and 3.2 assists while shooting 41.6% from the field, 37.4% from beyond the arc and 82.2% from the free-throw line. He’s made 27 3-pointers this season, which is more than Westbrook (18).
Proposed Trade Lands Lakers Rozier & Gordon Hayward for Westbrook
In an October 21 article called “1 Trade Every NBA Team Should Already Be Plotting,” Bleacher Report’s Greg Swartz proposed that the Lakers trade Westbrook, Max Christie and a 2027 first-round pick to the Hornets for Rozier and Gordon Hayward. That deal is eligible to be made under CBA rules.
“Given the amount of elite-looking talent at the top of the 2023 draft class, doing a one-year reset would be the best long-term option for Charlotte, with the chance to pair LaMelo Ball with Victor Wembanyama or Scoot Henderson for the next decade. This means taking a step back this season, using Westbrook’s expiring deal to dump the contracts of Hayward and Rozier while picking up a future unprotected first-rounder and getting a prospect like Christie to develop,” Swartz wrote. “The Lakers get a pair of shooters and playmakers to plug in next to LeBron James and Anthony Davis while still keeping their 2029 first-round pick to use in a future trade.”
While Hayward is a talented shooter and scorer, it’s worth mentioning that Marc Stein of Substack reported on October 31 that the Lakers are concerned with acquiring the one-time All-Star, whose contract is hefty. Hayward is owed $30 million this season and $31.5 million in 2023-24.
The Lakers aren’t interested in taking on future money since LeBron James ($46.9 million), Anthony Davis ($40.6 million) and Christie ($1.7 million) are the only players currently under contract for the 2023-24 season. With the salary cap projected to be $134 million, Los Angeles could create upwards of $35 million in cap space, but that would change if Rozier and Hayward were on the team.