Getty Gordon Hayward, Terry Rozier
The Miami Heat are 24-19 at the moment, which ranks them No. 6 in the Eastern Conference. While they’ve had lengthy playoff runs in three of the last four years, making the NBA Finals is not guaranteed. If they want reinforcements, Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley outlined a trade that would send them Charlotte Hornets guard Terry Rozier.
Buckley outlined a trade between the Heat and Hornets in a January 19 story.
Heat receive: Rozier
Hornets receive: Kyle Lowry, 2027 first-round pick (top-four protected), 2026 second-round pick (via Lakers)
Bucket explained why Rozier would appeal to the Heat.
“He wouldn’t be the worst option to fill the perimeter shot-creator role they’ve long seemed determined to address.” Bucklet wrote. “Granted, he would function more as a third or fourth option in Miami, but he could still post decent complementary volume with perhaps more efficiency, and his points total could erupt on nights when Jimmy Butler defers, or Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro can’t find it.”
Rozier played for the Boston Celtics from 2015 to 2019, where he helped them reach the 2018 Eastern Conference Finals as their starting point guard. He is in the second year of a four-year, $96 million contract.
Terry Rozier Prefers to Join Heat: Report
The Hornets are all but out of the playoff picture, sporting a record of 9-31. If they decide to start over, Terry Rozier would reportedly prefer to join the Heat.
“Terry Rozier’s strong play has made the combo guard a more viable trade candidate than ever at his $24 million average annual salary, with a known preference to join the Miami Heat,” Jake Fischer of Yahoo! Sports reported on January 17.
While it has been almost five years since Rozier has been to the playoffs, he has come into his own as a guard since arriving in Charlotte. He’s averaging 23.6 points per game on 46% shooting from the field, both of which are career-highs.
Fischer added that the Hornets have made all but three players have been made available on the trade market.
“The Hornets have indicated that they will be more active this deadline, with influence from new ownership, than how the front office has conducted business in previous transaction windows. Charlotte is said to have all players available outside of LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller, and Mark Williams,” Fischer wrote.
There haven’t been any reports that the feeling is mutual. However, if the Hornets are serious about starting over, the Heat may have an opportunity on their hands with Rozier.
Heat Looking for Star: Insider
The Action Network’s Matt Moore reported that the Heat are on the lookout for a star. At the same time, no one knows who or what exactly they are looking for.
“As stated above, Miami continues to be looking for any star that comes available. But beyond that, there’s very little indication of anything the Heat are known to be looking for. Executives are interested to see how the Heat manage Jimmy Butler being extension eligible with a player option for 2025-26 at $52 million,” Moore wrote in a January 20 story.
Terry Rozier has never made an all-star team, but he might be the best player that Heat could realistically obtain.