NBA Rumors: Rockets Could Land Terry Rozier For Eric Gordon & 2nd-Rounder, ‘Bleacher Report’ Suggests
Despite the expected breakout season from former Boston Celtics reserve guard Terry Rozier and the rather unexpected emergence of Devonte’ Graham at point guard, the Charlotte Hornets were only ranked 10th in the Eastern Conference when the NBA paused operations in March, posting a 23-42 record. Both Rozier and Graham have been putting up good numbers in the 2019-20 season, but due to the perception that they might not be a good fit together in the starting lineup, a recent report suggested a way that could allow the Hornets to have a more ideal starting backcourt in the coming 2020-21 season.
As opined by Bleacher Report on Wednesday, Charlotte might be better off breaking up the “undersized” starting duo of Rozier and Graham when the time comes for the organization to retool its roster for the 2020-21 campaign. The outlet recommended a deal that would send Rozier to the Houston Rockets for veteran shooting guard Eric Gordon, who, at 6-foot-3-inches and 215 pounds, could turn out to be a better fit alongside Graham. The trade idea also involved the Rockets sending a 2021 second-round pick to the Hornets as additional compensation.
A 12-year veteran who won Sixth Man of the Year honors for the Rockets in 2016-17, Gordon last played a starting role for the New Orleans Pelicans in the 2015-16 season, as shown on his Basketball-Reference player page. In 34 games this season, the 31-year-old registered averages of 14.5 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 1.5 assists in 28.6 minutes per game, with shooting percentages of 37 percent from the field and 31.9 percent from beyond the arc.
TERRY ROZIER ?
Career-high 40 PTS (15-26 FG)Averaging 22.9 PTS, 4.4 AST, 4 3PT over his last 7 gamespic.twitter.com/OJPvNVtzJs
— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) March 10, 2020
Discussing the impact of the theoretical trade, Bleacher Report wrote that Rozier — who spent four seasons on the Celtics’ bench before moving to Charlotte — could be a “dynamic” sixth man for the Rockets. The publication predicted that the 26-year-old could be the type of player who can provide some scoring and playmaking off the bench while giving Houston the luxury of resting superstar guards James Harden and Russell Westbrook more often during regular-season play.
As for the future second-round selection, it was pointed out that this draft pick could make up for the fact that Gordon has two additional years remaining on his contract as compared to Rozier, who signed a three-year, $58 million deal during the 2019 free agency period.
The past few months have also seen Rozier’s name come up in various other trade rumors, though most of them have linked him to the New York Knicks, who were reportedly considering acquiring him for power forward Julius Randle in the days leading up to this year’s trade deadline.
