If the Miami Heat had the benefit of hindsight, they surely wouldn’t have pulled the trigger on the Terry Rozier trade. Not only are they set to give a first-round pick in 2027 or 2028 to the Charlotte Hornets, but they can’t even extract some value out of the point guard at the moment.
According to Ethan Skolnick of the “Five on the Floor” podcast, the Heat have been shopping Rozier around the league for “just about anything.” Unfortunately for them, no one has been willing to bring in the former Hornets floor general. It wouldn’t even be surprising if other teams are asking for a second-round pick to take him off Miami’s hands.
It appears there isn’t much confidence that Rozier can turn things around and experience even a bit of career resurgence at 31 years old. It has been quite a drop-off for him, as it hasn’t been that long since he was consistently putting up nearly 20.0 points per game in Charlotte. He was on pace to record a career-high in scoring in the first half of the 2023-24 campaign, averaging 23.2 points per contest in his final 30 appearances as a Hornet.
That was evidently enough for Miami to believe Rozier was the missing piece in its attempt to return to the Finals. The Hornets were able to capitalize on the Heat’s interest and rid themselves of the headache that the veteran guard has become.
In his defense, he played decently shortly after he arrived at South Beach. However, a neck injury prevented him from finishing the 2023-24 regular season and suiting up in the playoffs. Then, the former first-round pick’s comeback attempt last season didn’t go as planned, with Heat coach Erik Spoelstra eventually taking him out of the starting lineup.
Hornets are likely monitoring the Heat-Rozier drama
Charlotte might be checking out what’s happening with the Heat regarding Rozier. It wouldn’t be out of a desire to acquire him again, though, even after he admitted to missing Buzz City earlier this year. Rather, the Hornets are probably monitoring where the draft selection Miami owes them will end up.
The vet’s inflated salary for the 2025-26 campaign has already caused the Heat to give up on a rotation player for essentially nothing. Recently, they shipped out Haywood Highsmith to duck the luxury tax line, and all they got in the process was a heavily-protected second-round pick.
Dealing for Rozier has undoubtedly set Miami back, and while the Hornets wouldn’t want to wish ill on another team, they are probably hoping that the Heat will struggle in the following years so that they receive a lottery selection in 2028.
