MassLive's Brian Robb relays that it "remains to be seen" if the Miami Heat would be willing to go all in on acquiring former Boston Celtics playoff hero Terry Rozier considering the Charlotte Hornets' asking price may be too exorbitant for the notoriously stingy Pat Riley.
"Rozier’s trade market in the coming weeks will be fascinating to watch," Robb prefaced before saying, "Miami has already spent several draft assets in recent deals so it’s unclear just how much they would have to bid to land Rozier. With multiple contenders in both conferences trying to make a push for the title this season before more restrictive CBA rules come into play, Rozier could be a popular target. The Heat currently sit in a tie for the 5th seed in the East at 24-17 and have a few movable big salaries on their roster in Kyle Lowry and Duncan Robinson. The Hornets will be looking for far more than that in either draft compensation or young players for the Heat so it remains to be seen whether Miami wants to push in a lot of chips for Rozier."
Of course, the chances of a deal aren't very high considering the gameplan Riley will likely deploy when discussing a deal with Hornets GM Mitch Kupchak.
Kyle Lowry the key to any deal where Miami lands former Boston Celtics playoff hero Terry Rozier
Let's be real: Riley isn't going to be giving up any assets of value in a trade with Charlotte. I mean, we're talking about the guy who wouldn't cede Caleb Martin in negotiations for Damian Lillard here. Rozier, even amid a career year, is no Lillard.
So the Hornets are likely looking at the prospect of Riley offering a take-it-or-leave-it deal built around Kyle Lowry. And unfortunately, Charlotte may not see a better road than getting off of Rozier's long-term money for an expiring deal.
If the Heat steal Rozier, the Celtics might want to think about countering with a move to boost their backcourt scoring off the bench, since Jrue Holiday may be exhausted focusing his energy on Rozier in a hypothetical playoff matchup.