The Terry Rozier trade by the Miami Heat has sparked some reflection and debate.
The Heat acquired Rozier in January to boost their scoring, trading a first-round pick to Charlotte, which limits their ability to trade future first-round picks.
While some now question this move, there is no clear evidence that an alternative approach would have been better.
Rozier is under contract for two more seasons at $24.9 million and $26.6 million, providing the Heat with a reliable point guard who averaged 21.1 and 19.8 points in the past two seasons.
He also made several key plays during his three months with the team. This is valuable for a team that struggled offensively last season.
However, the trade left Miami with limited financial flexibility under the NBA’s punitive second apron.
They were only able to re-sign Kevin Love, Haywood Highsmith, and Thomas Bryant, and add Alec Burks at the minimum, alongside draft picks Kel’El Ware and Pelle Larsson.
If the Heat had allowed Kyle Lowry’s contract to expire instead of trading him and a first-round pick for Rozier, their payroll would be $162 million rather than $187 million, still well above the $140.9 million cap.
This means they wouldn’t have had cap space to sign top free agents like Paul George.
Additionally, they couldn’t have accommodated DeMar DeRozan’s full salary due to hard cap restrictions, which would have limited their ability to sign or re-sign other key players.
There isn’t a free agent available that Miami could have signed who would be a better fit than Rozier.
Caleb Martin rejected a five-year, $65 million offer from the Heat, and Miami likely wouldn’t have gone higher.
Even with a $12.8 million midlevel exception, the Heat wouldn’t have been able to use it effectively if they pursued a sign-and-trade for DeRozan.
Two potential benefits of not trading for Rozier include the ability to trade a first-round pick in 2028 or 2029, providing more trade flexibility, and staying under the first apron, which would allow them to sign buyout players earning more than $12.8 million.
However, these factors haven’t significantly impacted the Heat’s ability to acquire top talent so far.
In summary, the Rozier trade remains a sensible move for the Heat. Without it, Miami would have no cap space and would face limitations from sign-and-trade hard cap rules.
Heat GM Andy Elisburg acknowledged that acquiring Rozier early affected their ability to make other moves, but it was a calculated decision to bolster the team’s scoring capabilities.
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