The Miami Heat are looking to have a better second half of the season, after acquiring Terry Rozier in a point guard swap with Charlotte. According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, the deal will be Rozier for Kyle Lowry and a first-round pick.
Draft compensation is a little less valuable to the Heat than it is to the Hornets. The Heat have a championship window that might still be open if they can acquire the right pieces. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the draft compensation comes in the form of a 2027 first.
According to Yahoo’s Jake Fisher, the 2027 first is lottery-protected and it becomes unprotected in 2028. At first glance, this appears that it would be a lateral move. Not really much of a statistical difference between Rozier and Lowry career-wise. However, Terry Rozier to the Heat makes sense for many reasons.
The former Hornet has not started every game this season but he is averaging career-highs in points, assists and field goal percentage. For the Heat, who have struggled offensively at times this season, they are adding a playmaking and scoring guard. Adding Rozier should free up Tyler Herro and Jaime Jacquez Jr. from having playmaking duties. The bench has been a key issue for the Heat. They need another scoring threat there.
The Hornets may not keep Lowry, but they also aren’t looking to buy out the contract either. They are working on other deals and could potentially include him in those. The Hornets are building for the future and have a young core between LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller who they’d like to build around. Adding the pick makes sense in many ways. If they are winning by 2027-2028, then they can use that pick for depth.
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