Charlotte Hornets guard Terry Rozier has interest in joining the Miami Heat if he is traded, according to Yahoo! Sports’ Jake Fischer.
“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, league sources told Yahoo Sports,” Fischer wrote.
The Hornets are struggling this season, posting a 8-29 record and holding the No. 13 seed in the Eastern Conference. Charlotte has lost five games in a row and nine of its last 10 matchups.
The team may look to change the roster at this year’s trade deadline to give it more assets to build around guard LaMelo Ball and wing Brandon Miller, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft.
Miami could be a perfect landing spot for Rozier, as the team could use an extra scoring punch alongside Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro. The Heat also have the salary to move in such a deal, as they could offer the Hornets Kyle Lowry’s expiring contract.
While Lowry isn’t a great trade chip, the Heat could look to include draft capital or a young player – such as 2022 first-round pick Nikola Jovic – to entice the Hornets to move off of Rozier.
While Rozier may have a preference to land in Miami, Fischer did not add in his report what the interest is from Miami’s side of things.
Rozier is under contract through the 2025-26 season, although his deal for the 2025-26 campaign is only partially guaranteed. The 29-year-old guard could help the Heat replace some of the production that they lost at the guard spot with Gabe Vincent leaving in free agency this past offseason.
Rozier may not be the defender that Vincent is, but he can certainly score the ball at a high rate.
This season, the Hornets guard is averaging 24.0 points, 3.8 rebounds and 6.8 assists per game while shooting 45.7 percent from the field and 36.9 percent from beyond the arc.
This is the second straight season in which Rozier is averaging over 21 points per game.
The Heat are currently the No. 5 seed in the Eastern Conference, but the team could be looking to upgrade the roster ahead of this season’s trade deadline to help it make another run back to the NBA Finals.