As if there wasn't enough anticipation for the Boston Celtics to return to Miami for NBA rivalry week, things just got even scarier.
The Celtics and Heat have met in the Eastern Conference Finals nearly every year since the beginning of this decade. No matter how the regular season goes, the Heat will somehow end up there.
As the season began, the question of how the Heat could return after losing key role players Gabe Vincent and Max Strus seemed to resonate more than ever. But each season somehow more diamonds in the rough are mined. They drafted Jamie Jaquez Jr., adding him as one of their best rotation players. And now they shipped the aging Kyle Lowry and lottery-protected 2027 first-round pick Terry Rozier. According to , if a pick is not communicated, it will not be protected in 2028. athletic Shams Charania.
Rozier is averaging career highs with 23.2 points per game and 6.6 assists per night. He shoots 39.6 percent on over-the-break 3s, although he shoots badly in the corners. There's a role he could dominate in Miami if he's willing to adapt to it.
As of Wednesday morning, the Heat trail the Celtics by 9.5 games, but that ultimately meant nothing after barely making the playoffs last year. The triumvirate of Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, and Erik Spoelstra has proven time and time again that they can fix any team's problems in the postseason.
What does this Rozier-Lowry trade mean for Miami and the top teams in the East, especially considering the Bucks abruptly fired coach Adrian Griffin? athletic Jared Weiss and Will Guillory break it all down.
Jared Weiss: Trading Rozier would be an attractive gamble for any team. He's a guy who is often tasked with the primary creator role and loves the usage that comes with that, but he's best suited as a tertiary creator on a team with a core offense. If he can take on that role in Miami, he would be an ideal fit. But that's a big assumption.
Rozier was behind Kyrie Irving in Boston when he publicly advocated for a promotion to starting guard and got what he wanted when he was offered to Charlotte in place of Kemba Walker. . His campaign was well deserved, as he could have been paid a lot of money, and the Hornets took a chance on him with a three-year, $58 million contract.
Charlotte never progressed to a winning program during his tenure, and Rozier complemented LaMelo Ball well with inconsistent defensive effort, prolific shot hunting, and only marginal improvement as a playmaker and game manager. could not. Rozier will essentially be a fourth option in Miami, and his skill set is perfect for that role. Will he agree? Will he play with the intensity and focus he showed in Boston? Miami is betting on it.
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Heat-Hornets trade stats: Will Terry Rozier give Miami the scoring boost it needs?
Will Guillory: This is an important gamble for Miami, as the Heat's offense has been terrible as of late. They rank 28th in offensive rating in January, but have been held to under 100 points in five of their last nine games since Wednesday. Of course, injuries have played a part in Miami's struggles this season. The Heat have not been able to find consistency in their lineup. Butler missed 15 games, Tyler Herro 19 and Adebayo 10.
All three are currently healthy, but Jaquez is sidelined with a groin injury. Jaquez has been outstanding this season, but that's usually a cause for concern when a rookie is this important to a team's success. Rozier will need to be used less, but the playmaking and 3-point shooting he provides is exactly what Miami needs to complement its star. He's proven to be fearless in the playoffs. He would be a great addition to the Heat's offense. Could he fit in with them defensively? That's another discussion.
Weiss: you're right. The biggest variable is his defense. Rozier showed early in his career that he can be a nuisance as a point of attack defender against guards. When he was in Boston, he was good at chasing screens and getting lean to stay on the ball handler's hips, and that would work wonders for Adebayo with a high drop in the pick-and-roll.
Miami blitzes a lot there, and Rozier has the athleticism to trap and recover, allowing him to fit into many of Spoelstra's schemes and manage coverage changes between different members. It generally shows consciousness. The Heat tend to target players who can adapt to defenses that change drastically and require a lot of reads, and Rozier should still have the ability to do that if he wants to.
And what better test than against his former team and the Heat's biggest rival for the East title this decade? Miami will have to switch or defend on screens to deal with Kristaps Porzisis' pick-and-pops, so it's a good idea for the Celtics to throw Rozier into that action 100 times so he understands coverage. You better believe they'll see if they can. It will be a battle for him as Boston has the guard defenders to match him as well.
Guillory: If they're going to break through the East, they'll have to deal with the size that Boston, Philadelphia and Milwaukee have on the border. Playing smaller guards like Herro and Rozier together can be dangerous if teams start looking for mismatches. As you said, Rozier is tough as nails and brave at the point of attack. But was he able to maintain that passion after years spent playing meaningless games in Charlotte? Will he be able to figure out all the different plans Spoelstra has in store on any given night?
He will be tested both mentally and physically as all of Miami's players are under Spoelstra and Pat Riley. Rozier certainly has talented players, but he will have to dig deep to demand a level of focus from himself that hasn't been required in recent years.
Weiss: What's interesting about this deal is that Rozier's game has a lot of overlap with Herro in that he's a pick-and-roll creator who can lead a second unit. There are many similarities in their games, including stepping back across screens and blasting downhill to reach floaters throughout.
They will both become knockdown shooters off the bounce, improve their floater games, and have the potential to finish inside if they have momentum. Herro's pass vision has gotten a little better and his defense has improved this season, but I still think Rozier will be a better defender once he gets into Miami's system (his snatchback game has improved this season). were elite). Rozier might be able to create a little more of the obvious gaps that Miami's offense creates.
So does Rozier's arrival mean they might be shopping Hero?
Guillory: I don't think Herro is likely to move unless a big name like Donovan Mitchell comes along. That's one reason why it makes sense for them to jump on a trade for Rozier now, before the price rises as the Feb. 8 trade deadline approaches. As always, I'm sure the Heat will be aggressive in acquiring a star as we enter the offseason.
In general, I don't think you would rush to move stars before the deadline. These trades are much easier to make in the summer. One player to keep an eye on is Atlanta's Dejounte Murray. He certainly makes sense for Miami and its current needs. But it's unclear whether the Heat are willing to part with the kind of assets the Hawks are looking for after signing Rozier. He'll likely end up calling Brooklyn for players like Dorian Finney-Smith and Royce O'Neal, as well as other playoff contenders.
Weiss: And there doesn't seem to be any reason for Mitchell to be included. He's dominant right now, and the Cavs are doing well, sitting just above the Heat in the current standings. Cleveland should be at full strength as well, and besides the fact that the Heat are the Heat, the Cavs are in a better position than Miami at the moment.
If Miami makes a move, a big wing appears to be a top priority. Toronto had two players who would be a good fit for them in OG Anunoby and Pascal Siakam, but Miami was unable to acquire either. Given that the Heat had to give up a lead to acquire Rozier, and that any deal for a meaningful upgrade would likely require Herro and another pick, they're willing to make such a deal. It seems like the market for talented forwards hasn't been fully tapped yet.
Jerami Grant is the only guy that makes sense as he has a similar contract to Herro and can bring comparable scoring and shooting efficiency while filling a need on the defensive end. Having a plethora of young guards who can be developed to replace wings in their prime seems like a move for a Portland team that is serious about rebuilding. However, Hero still has a lot of room to grow, and it doesn't seem worth losing that positive momentum.
After all, will this change the Heat's movement in the league hierarchy? Considering the Bucks could hire Doc Rivers as his replacement midway through the season, Joel Embiid is pushing for another MVP, and the Celtics have been the most complete team in the league all season. But can the Heat knock on that door?
Guillory: Simply put, whenever Butler, Adebayo and Spoelstra enter the postseason, they should be considered a threat to win the East. I'm sure in a few months they'll find a player we've never heard of and let him score 20 points in a big game. The mental edge they have over Boston and Philadelphia also cannot be underestimated. Do you think Butler will ever walk into TD Garden and not believe he's the best player in that building? With that level of confidence and postseason know-how, they could be in it. Has Rozier moved the needle enough to be considered East Boston's biggest threat? Probably not.
At this point, I would probably consider Embiid and Philly to be the team to fear the most, even if Embiid has been terrible at times in the postseason. Size and defensive versatility have always reigned supreme in the East, and Boston and Philadelphia remain the two teams that bring it to the table more than anyone else. But I would never consider thermal culture. Others who do so should take a look at recent history.
(Top photo: Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
