The Boston Celtics have reached a level where they are far and away the best team in the Eastern Conference. With that comes teams that are desperate to match the Celtics and often make rash decisions. In the case of the Miami Heat, on Tuesday morning, they traded Kyle Lowry for Terry Rozier.
JUST JN: Miami is nearing a trade to acquire Charlotte's Terry Rozier for a package sending Kyle Lowry and draft compensation that includes a first-round pick, league sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. pic.twitter.com/FGFkpDifYe
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) January 23, 2024
The move does not entirely move the needle for the Heat and there are questions about how much he will help them. Once again, the move should cause no concern for the Celtics and their pursuit of Banner 18.
Let me start by saying that Rozier is a good player and an upgrade over Lowry. Rozier was excellent for the Celtics, especially during the 2018 postseason, but that was a long time ago. Now, Rozier is essentially just another Tyler Herro, which is why I don’t see his fit with the Heat.
BREAKING: Terry Rozier is a Miami Heat pic.twitter.com/rf21XxcPCe
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) January 23, 2024
More importantly, the Rozier trade should be a sigh of relief for the Celtics. For most of the offseason, the Heat were the favorites for Damian Lillard, and they have been in rumors for Dejounte Murray and Donovan Mitchell. For the Heat to be mentioned with those calibers of players and come away with just Rozier is a huge win for the Cs.
Despite 2018 Boston Celtics run, can Terry Rozier perform in postseason?
Even though Rozier is a better player than Lowry, is he more reliable in a playoff game? I would fear Lowry in a playoff game far more than I would Rozier because Lowry has won a championship and been on multiple NBA Finals runs.
Although Rozier could flourish in the Heat system, I wonder how good he will be for them in the postseason. It will be interesting to see how the Heat fare with Rozier this postseason. Ultimately, the Celtics should not even give the trade any thought as they still remain a leg above everyone else.