The Charlotte Hornets are nearing a trade that sends Terry Rozier to the Miami Heat for Kyle Lowry and a protected 2027 first-round pick, first reported by The Athletic’s Shams Charania.
Yahoo Sports’ Jake Fischer was first to report that the first-rounder is lottery protected in 2027 and then becomes unprotected in 2028.
In all, the Hornets traded Rozier for matching salary and a Miami first-rounder in 2027 or 2028. My initial reaction to the deal is pretty neutral; ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski has already reported that Charlotte doesn’t plan to buy out Lowry from his expiring contract and will work with him on a trade before the Feb. 8 deadline, which is a positive. On the negative, only receiving a distant first-rounder (though it could be valuable if Miami’s current roster is disassembled by then) and matching salary for a starting point guard averaging 23/7/4 on 57.4% true shooting with quality defense is disheartening. It’s hard to believe Rozier isn’t worth at least a protected first, Lowry and a flier on Nikola Jović, but alas.
Scary Terry will be missed. The growth he’s displayed as a player and leader since arriving in Charlotte five years ago is astounding. He adapted to different roles — first as a point guard, then morphing into an off-ball movement shooter, then into a shot-making two-guard, and finally a high-usage initiator — and developed his overall floor game to the point where his $24 million AAV contract is more team-friendly than not. This year especially, he’s put the team on his back when nearly every other rotation player was injured. There just aren’t many players on the roster that can fill the void left with Rozier’s departure.
It does make sense to maximize Rozier’s value at this deadline from a business perspective, though. Not that Charlotte needed to clear cap space, but the only long-term, high-salary player left on the roster is LaMelo Ball. Brandon Miller, Mark Williams, JT Thor and Nick Smith Jr. are all on rookie contracts. Cody Martin, Bryce McGowens, Nick Richards and PJ Washington are locked in on team-friendly deals. Miles Bridges, Gordon Hayward, and now Lowry, are unrestricted free agents this summer.
If nothing else, this move gives the Hornets added flexibility down the line with cleared books and an extra first-round pick in the cupboard. The corresponding moves made down the line will determine whether this deal was a positive for Charlotte or not. According to Woj, the Hornets aren’t done with the fire sale yet, either.
Goodbye, Scary Terry. It was a good run.
