Just eight months ago, Miami Heat GM Andy Elisburg was touting Terry Rozier as the team’s de facto free agent addition.
“Our free agent move this year was the Terry [Rozier] move. We just decided to do it early,” Elisburg told SiriusXM NBA Radio in June. “Probably took us out of being able to do something with the mid-level, with sign-and-trades because of the apron rules that prevent that, which we knew when we made the move that it was one or the other.”
By trading Kyle Lowry’s expiring contract and a first-round pick for Rozier and his longterm deal last January, the Heat abolished their ability to make a significant addition last summer. It’s unclear if they ever would have had the flexibility to add someone like DeMar DeRozan or Klay Thompson, but it also prevented them from re-signing their own player in Caleb Martin. It was a calculated bet that Rozier’s fit and talent would be more valuable to the Heat than any potential offseason move.
Well, it seems that bet busted.
Miami's big addition, Terry Rozier, has recorded DNP-CDs in the last two games.
After last season was cut short by a neck injury, Rozier is averaging his fewest points per game (12.0) and worst shooting percentage (40.4) since 2019. His minutes, assists and free-throw attempts are also down. He had been Miami’s worst high-minute player according to on/off stats this season before Erik Spoelstra’s decision to bench him the last two games.
“I can’t claim I’m making all the right decisions,” Spoelstra admitted when discussing his rotation choices Wednesday night.
Benching Rozier was the right decision. If Spoelstra went wrong, he may have waited too long to do it. Part of the reason for the delay was the lack of other point guard help on the roster. After Dru Smith tore his Achilles in December, the Heat did not have another point guard on the roster until they traded for Davion Mitchell at the Feb. 6 trade deadline.
Mitchell was immediately inserted into the starting lineup, and Alec Burks has since gotten minutes as his backup.
Benching Rozier is a short-term solution to a longterm problem.
Rozier is under contract for $24.9 million this season and $26.6 million next season ($24.9 million of which is guaranteed). If the Heat waive Rozier, they would still be on the hook for those $24.9 million. So, that’s not a feasible option.
The Heat should also be reluctant to attach an asset to Rozer in order to get off of his contract. After trading a protected 2027 first-round pick for Rozier last January, trading another thing of value would mark a disastrous waste of resources.
If the Heat could magically remove Rozier’s contract, it wouldn’t create equal cap space given that the Heat are operating well above the salary cap.
The one benefit of Rozier’s contract is that it will expire after next season and could potentially be used to build a package for a star player. The Heat this summer can rather easily put $50 million in salary together to build an offer for a star player. They will also likely have Golden State’s top-10 protected first-round pick in June, and may have their own if they miss the playoffs.
When it comes to what to do with Rozier, the Heat’s best move may simply be to wait it out and hope he can bounce back from this season’s performance, unless he can be included in a star trade before his contract expires.