It’s no secret that the Miami Heat have explored ways to trade away guard Terry Rozier this offseason, and last week, NBA insider Jake Fischer indicated that there was a “framework” being contemplated at one point about the Heat sending Rozier to the Washington Wizards for guard Marcus Smart.
Now, Fischer has added more info, explaining that the Heat “could not reach an organizational consensus on whether such a trade was a clear upgrade.”
“One more via Fischer: Sources say Miami has explored the feasibility of trading away veteran guard Terry Rozier this offseason,” NBA insider Marc Stein relayed.
“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 [Los Angeles] Lakers as a free agent.”
The development may frustrate any fans who feel that it wouldn’t take much for the Heat to upgrade over Rozier’s production, which was unreliable last season. The veteran averaged just 10.6 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game while shooting 39.1 percent from the field and 29.5 percent from deep, which caused his place in the rotation to become inconsistent.
Smart certainly would’ve come with question marks of his own, as he hasn’t appeared in more than 34 games in a season since the end of his Boston Celtics tenure. But even so, his pedigree as a defensive player would’ve made him an intriguing Heat addition. He has earned three All-Defense nods and one Defensive Player of the Year award in the NBA.
Instead, he landed with the Lakers after the Wizards bought him out. He joins an L.A. team headlined by stars LeBron James and Luka Doncic, and the squad will try to make a championship push this season.
Rozier, meanwhile, is under club control for one more season with Miami. If the Heat don’t move him, they can hope that he will return to form to some degree this coming season, which maybe isn’t the craziest idea since he averaged nearly 20 points per game as recently as the 2023-24 campaign.
At the very least, he has been described as a good teammate who hasn’t caused problems in the Heat locker room, something that certainly goes a long way. Hopefully, Miami can make the most out of the situation one way or another and become a more competitive squad in the Eastern Conference again once the new season starts up.