The Miami Heat still has no clarity on whether they can legally trade Terry Rozier, and that uncertainty could play a huge factor for the team heading into the NBA Trade Deadline season.
Even though Rozier is probably never going to play another minute for the Heat, his contract could emerge as a useful asset over the next couple of months. Not because Rozier is a player teams will be clamoring for. Instead, because his expiring contract could help facilitate a deal at the trade deadline
Rozier is in the final year of his contract and has a large $26.6 million number for this season. If the Heat are trying to make a splash move at the deadline, there's reason to believe that Rozier's $26.6 million expiring contract would be a beneficial asset.
The NBA continues to ignore the Heat's Terry Rozier question
Unfortunately for the Heat, there's still no clear answer to their big question of whether Rozier can be traded or not. The NBA has been mum on the issue, as Rozier continues to move forward with his legal process.
But, as ESPN's Bobby Marks narrates, it's certainly one of the big questions that the Heat's front office is facing. And with the trade season right around the corner, it's far from ideal.
At this point, the Heat might have to operate under the assumption that he can be traded until the league says otherwise.
Of course, that opens up the Heat to the risk of agreeing to a framework of a deal only for the league to strike it down. You'd imagine that if the Heat got close, the league office would give them a heads-up, but that's far from a guarantee.
Especially with the way the league has handled this entire issue.
And if the Heat still hasn't gotten any direction on Rozier up to now, I'd have my doubts that any are coming before the trade deadline.
Nevertheless, it's just another consequence that the Heat must deal with after such a short-circuited move a few years ago. Even before the criminal investigation, it's easy to forget how bad a deal the Rozier trade had been for Miami.
The last few months has only made their decision to trade Kyle Lowry's expiring contract and a future first-round pick in exchange for Rozier that much more difficult to digest, especially when you consider he was expected a piece to help push the Jimmy Butler build forward.