The Charlotte Hornets are trading starting guard Terry Rozier to the Miami Heat for Kyle Lowry and a 2027 first-round pick, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski on Tuesday.
The pick in the deal is lottery-protected in 2027, and would become unprotected in 2028 should it convey, adds Wojnarowski.
Rozier is in the middle of his best scoring season since joining the league in 2015, averaging 23.2 points per game on 45.9% shooting from the field. He’s also adding a career-best 6.6 assists per contest.Since being dealt to the Hornets in 2019 following four seasons as a reserve for the Boston Celtics, Rozier has averaged 20 points per game in 298 starts for Charlotte. The 29-year-old carved out a role in the team’s lineup as an aggressive scorer with playmaking chops.
Rozier brings a needed boost of offense to a Heat squad occupying the No. 6 slot in the Eastern Conference with a 24-19 record. Miami ranks fifth-last in points per game, and Rozier’s points and assists averages would slot in as the team’s best.
Lowry has continued his decline in his 18th NBA season, averaging 8.2 points and four assists per game, both his lowest marks since the 2008-09 campaign.
With Lowry on an expiring $29.7-million deal, the rebuilding Hornets don’t plan to seek an immediate buyout for the 37-year-old and will instead work to trade him ahead of the Feb. 8 deadline, sources told Wojnarowski.
