Terry Rozier was one of the young players who led the Boston Celtics to the Eastern Conference finals 2018 and forced a Game 7 against LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers despite not having Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward. In the 19 postseason games he played as the Celtics starting point guard, Rozier established an impressive performance on both ends of the floor, averaging 16.5 points, 5.7 assists, 5.5 rebounds, and 1.3 steals on 40.6 percent shooting from the field and 34.7 percent from beyond the arc.
Unfortunately, when Kyrie Irving returned in the 2018-19 NBA season, Celtics Head Coach Brad Stevens moved Terry Rozier back to their second unit. So far, the 24-year-old point guard is “growing frustrated” with his lack of playing time in Boston, according to Sam Amico of Amico Hoops . Shams Charania of The Athletic (h/t 247 Sports ) revealed that, as of now, at least seven NBA teams are waiting for the Celtics to make Rozier officially available on the trading block.
“Quietly, at least seven teams have been monitoring Rozier’s status this season, league sources told The Athletic, waiting to see if the Celtics could begin to field trade calls. The Phoenix Suns have aggressively pursued Rozier, even before firing Ryan McDonough as general manager, league sources said.”
In the first edition of a new feature at @TheAthletic , our NBA Insider @ShamsCharania updates us on the Jimmy Butler situation, a developing dilemma in Boston with Terry Rozier + more news and notes from around the NBA.
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— The Athletic NBA (@TheAthleticNBA) November 7, 2018
As Amico noted, the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Phoenix Suns are among those seven NBA teams who are interested in trading for Terry Rozier. Since losing Brandon Knight in a trade with the Houston Rockets, the Suns have been aggressive on the trade market, searching for a starting caliber point guard. Rozier could form an explosive backcourt duo with Devin Booker, and the Suns could create enough salary cap space to give the young point guard a decent offer when he becomes a free agent next summer.
Meanwhile, it’s definitely surprising why the Cavaliers want to acquire Terry Rozier. Though Rozier is a native of Youngstown and attended high school in the Cleveland suburb of Shaker Heights, the Cavaliers already have George Hill and used their No. 8 pick to draft Collin Sexton. However, recently, rumors are circulating that some of the Cavaliers veterans are disappointed with Sexton’s performance. The potential acquisition of Rozier will give the Cavaliers a young and reliable point guard who could boost their chance of earning a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference this season.
As of now, it remains unknown if the Celtics plan on moving Terry Rozier before the February NBA trade deadline. Kyrie Irving may have already expressed his desire to stay long-term in Boston, but the Celtics still need Rozier as an insurance if something bad happens again during the 2018-19 NBA season.
