The Miami Heat are certainly in a much better situation roster-wise today than they were just a few days ago after acquiring Norman Powell from the LA Clippers in an unexpected three-team trade. However, there's still work to be done heading into the rest of the offseason for the Heat. If the fans had any say, trading Terry Rozier is a move that must take place next.
Of course, trading Rozier could be easier said than done. Sure, he's in the final year of his contract, but he would seemingly offer very little value on the trade market. He fell out of the rotation toward the end of last season for the Heat and has been an overall negative player for the Heat since his acquisition.
He's had some bright moments with the Heat, but he hasn't made the impact that perhaps the front office hoped he would since he was added to the roster. The problem is, keeping him on the roster would do more bad than good for the Heat.
Why trading Rozier is a must
Here's the biggest problem of keeping Rozier on the roster heading into the start of the season: Because Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra is so loyal to his players, I can't imagine there's a scenario where he doesn't give Rozier minutes.
If Rozier is healthy and active, Spo is going to lean toward the veterans and try to make it work. After all, his job is to win as many games as possible with the roster he's been gifted. If last season was any indication, Spo is going to keep trying to squeeze Rozier as much as he can, even though it's quite clear there isn't much juice left.
The last thing Miami needs is for Rozier to be taking minutes from some of the Heat's other developing young guards. That's why it's increasingly important that the front office must avoid that potential scenario by desperately trying to find a trade for Rozier.
What the Heat shouldn't do
Even though it's probably in the best interest of the Heat to trade Rozier, they also shouldn't attach an asset to get him off the roster. At that point, that would be doing way too much and would end up working against the Heat in the long run.
It's bad enough that the Heat included a first-round pick to acquire Rozier originally; it would be malpractice if they used another first-round pick in an attempt to get him off the roster in the final year of his contract.
But that's where the Heat should utilize the better part of the next couple of months in frantically searching for a way to trade Rozier. Now that the Heat has made a big move to upgrade their roster (in the move for Powell), trading Rozier should be near the top of the team's to-do list heading into the remainder of the offseason. It's certainly a move that fans have strongly been clamoring for.