The Miami Heat have the option of waiving Terry Rozier this offseason in order to free up another roster spot they can use to add an additional player. But they're not going to do that, nor should they.
I should first say that this idea was initially thrown out there by former All U Can Heat editor and current host of Locked On Heat, Wes Goldberg. He noted that with the current state of Miami's roster, the team doesn't have the room to add even a minimum contract.
However, that would change immediately if the Heat opted to waive Terry Rozier. This would be because of how his contract is set up and how much money is guaranteed. Rozier is guaranteed to earn $24.9 million of the $26.6 million that he'll be owed next season.
If Miami got him off their payroll, it would afford them an additional $1.7 million they could put toward adding another player. If you consider that the Heat are already $1.8 million under the luxury tax threshold as is, that would give them $3.5 million to work with and they could go out and sign a minimum deal as early as this week if they wanted to.
The Heat could waive Rozier and sign a minimum deal, but they shouldn't
Although that is an option that is on the table for Miami, it's one that I would not consider for very long if I were in their front office. It's tempting, sure, considering the team's current roster needs and how much Terry struggled last year. But I just think you have to look at the bigger picture.
Rozier looked nothing like his usual self in 64 games with the Heat this past season. He struggled terribly shooting the ball, and wasn't getting up nearly the kind of shot volume he's typically used to either. In my mind, it's very hard to think he will repeat this again next year.
I think you can point to Terry's neck injury to explain a lot of why his performance was so poor in 2024-25. If you've ever strained your neck while playing basketball before (I know I have) it's not exactly a pleasant experience, and you can understand why it would affect even a seasoned professional.
It seems much more likely that Rozier is primed for a bounce-back season. And even if you're still convinced waiving him is the right option, consider too how rough it would look to make that kind of move after giving up a first-round pick for him back in January 2024. Miami would do best to ride this situation out, and I believe the momentum is going to eventually swing in Terry's favor.