Conventional belief may suggest it's not possible, but the Miami Heat are still attempting to trade Terry Rozier before the end of the NBA offseason. It's already been revealed as a borderline impossible task, but the Heat is still holding out hope that it can be accomplished before the start of the season.
What makes trading Rozier difficult is not the mere fact that there aren't teams willing to swallow the final year of his contract. On the contrary, I'm sure there are a handful of teams open to the idea of it. Of course, all of those teams would likely demand a small draft asset for the trouble.
And that's where the biggest problem for the Heat lies.
Miami isn't in a position where they have luxury draft assets to staple to Rozier's contract. At this point, they're better off eating the final year of his contract. But as the Heat explores ways to get out of the tax, trading Rozier does seem like the simplest path forward.
That's why, in their eyes, it's worth the hassle of continuing to ram their head into the wall on this pursuit.
Other paths to trading Terry Rozier
Are there other paths to trading Rozier that don't include a draft asset? There may be, but that likely means the Heat would have to throw in a sweetener like Haywood Highsmith, Pelle Larsson, or Jaime Jaquez Jr.
For as much as the Heat may want to close the door on the Rozier era, I'm not certain they're willing to go that far.
If the Heat are able to trade Rozier, it would have to be viewed as a borderline miracle at this point. If Miami wasn't able to dump his contract in the move for Norman Powell earlier this offseason, it does suggest that his contract is more than just a negative asset at this point.
Closing out the offseason
A potential trade of Rozier would put a cherry on top of a pretty underrated offseason for the Heat. Many of the fans may not agree with that assessment, but while the Heat may not have gotten significantly better this summer, they continue to position themselves for a big move in the future.
And, more than anything, that's what this summer was mainly about. Right now, the Heat can't logistically be in the conversation to acquire a star player. Not via trade or free agency. They simply don't have the flexibility to do so, and they haven't for the past few years.
However, they've continued to lay the groundwork for that possibility in the future with their calculated moves this summer.
I'm in the camp that must see a trade of Rozier before I believe it, but if it doesn't happen, it won't be from a lack of trying. The Heat, for better or worse, are clearly efforting the process.