Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier is in the final year of his contract for $24.9 million. (Mandatory Credit: Megan Briggs/Getty Images)
The Miami Heat are in quite a conundrum with guard Terry Rozier, who’s in the final year of his contract.
Rozier has been linked to a federal betting probe for over six months. Oh, and had one of the worst seasons of his career last season, averaging just 10.6 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game on 39.1 percent shooting and 29.5 percent from 3-point range, the first time he’s shot below 30.0 percent from deep since 2015-16, his rookie season.
According to NBA insider Jake Fischer of The Stein Line, Miami kicked the tires on trading Rozier for Marcus Smart, who was bought out earlier this month by the Washington Wizards.
“One more via Fischer: Sources say Miami has explored the feasibility of trading away veteran guard Terry Rozier this offseason,” the report read. “Jake says Miami weighed a Rozier-for-Smart swap but could not reach an organizational consensus on whether such a trade was a clear upgrade. Smart ultimately secured a buyout from Washington on July 19 that ultimately enabled him to sign with the Lakers as a free agent.”
Marcus Smart and Terry Rozier were both expiring contracts:
According to Spotrac, Rozier is making $24.9 million in 2025-26, while Smart was expected to make $21.6 million before his buyout.
Smart, 31, has dealt with myriad injuries (finger, ankle, shoulder, etc.) over the last two seasons, playing just 54 combined games with the Washington Wizards and Memphis Grizzlies. Over that two-year span, he averaged 11.0 points, 2.3 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.5 steals on 41.1 percent shooting and 33.1 percent from beyond the arc.
He was noticeably worse defensively since getting traded by Boston, and he’s knocked down just 33.6 percent from 3-point range over his last six seasons. I am not sure it would have been a clear upgrade, either, but I think there’s a world where it would have been an “upgrade,” hypothetically.
Alas, the time has passed.
Attaching assets to Rozier at this point is a lost cause, but a team likely won’t be incentivized to take on his contract without them. The Heat don’t own any of their second-round picks through 2031. Thus, a conundrum … let it expire!
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