Miami Heat's Signing Of Terry Rozier Could Offset Missing Out On Damian Lillard
The Miami Heat spent last offseason chasing Damian Lillard during free agency.
That failed but the Heat may have found a good alternative. On Tuesday, they reportedly agreed to trade for Charlotte Hornets guard Terry Rozier in exchange for Kyle Lowry and draft compensation.
This season, Rozier has put up similar numbers as Lillard, who was traded from the Portland Trail Blazers to the Milwaukee Bucks in September. Rozier is averaging 23.2 points, 6.6 assists and 3.9 rebounds. In Milwaukee, Lillard's numbers are 25.3 points, 6.9 assists and 4.3 rebounds.
The Rozier signing should give the Heat the lineup they expected when they were coveting Lillard during free agency. Rozier has averaged at least 20 points in three of the last four seasons. That gives the Heat another reliable scorer to pair alongside Jimmy Butler, Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo.
Many felt the Heat were lagging after failing to upgrade during the offseason. The Bucks and Boston Celtics all added talent while the Heat kept mostly the same roster from a year ago.
This move should automatically make the Heat among the top contenders in the Eastern Conference because they dumped an aging guard (Lowry) while adding young talent in Rozier.
Shandel Richardson covers the Miami Heat for Inside The Heat, a Fan Nation channel for Sports Illustrated. He has covered the NBA since 2010.
TWITTER: @ShandelRich
Follow all of our Miami Heat coverage on Facebook here
Subscribe to our YouTube channel here
For any Heat or NBA questions, please email shandelrich@gmail.com
