There are a lot of questions regarding the future direction of the Miami Heat right now. But one thing is pretty evident: Many Heat fans on social media are not exactly in full-fledged support of Terry Rozier at the moment.
It was a difficult season in 2024-25 for Rozier, without a question. But let's take a moment to remember how we got here. It was back in January of 2024 when the Heat made the decision to trade with the Charlotte Hornets and acquire Rozier, in a deal where they sent back Kyle Lowry and their 2027 first round draft selection.
At the time, it was a very reasonable move, and even one that seemed like a big win. Rozier was coming off one of the most productive stretches of basketball of his professional career. In Charlotte was where he truly began to blossom, and he was considered a valuable trade commodity not a year and a half ago.
In all four seasons with the Hornets, Rozier averaged at least 18 points per game. He had grown into a tremendous offensive player, able to attack off the dribble both in the half court and in transition, while being a positively lethal catch and shoot three-point shooter. This type of high-usage scoring guard was exactly what Miami needed.
Many Heat fans are done with the Terry Rozier experiment
Unfortunately, this past season saw his level of play totally fall off from where it was before. Whereas Terry was a near-guaranteed 18-to-20 points per night player headed into his stint with the Heat, his reliability as an offensive player has dwindled significantly.
This past season, Rozier averaged just 10.6 points per game on 39% shooting and 29.5% from three-point territory. His minutes average fell below 30 minutes per night for the first time since the 2018-19 season. All in all, it was a hugely disappointing campaign for a guy that was considered an unquestioned starter headed into the year.
On top of his on-court struggles, Rozier also made headlines after it was announced that federal prosecutors were making investigations into unusual betting patterns regarding his play in a game from the 2022-23 season while he was with the Charlotte Hornets. We don't know the details of this situation, but it's likely this circumstance affected his mental in one way or another, as it would any person.
As of right now, Terry Rozier is still under contract in Miami for next year, and is owed $26.6 million for the 2025-26 NBA season. A lot of Heat nation was understandably frustrated with his play in this past campaign, and if he sticks around town, he'll likely have to win back much of the fanbase.