The Charlotte Hornets, for whatever reason, were very high on Terry Rozier this summer.
Like really, really high.
The Hornets acquired Rozier in a sign-and-trade with the Boston Celtics, who reeled in All-Star point guard Kemba Walker via the deal. Rozier cashed in upon landing in Charlotte, as he reportedly garnered a three-year, $58 million deal. This obviously isn’t a max contract, but it still is a fairly lofty price tag for a player of Rozier’s caliber.
As such, ESPN NBA insiders Tim Bontemps and Dave McMenamin both viewed Rozier-to-Charlotte as the most questionable offseason move thus far.
“The sign-and-trade for Terry Rozier (three years, $58 million) in Charlotte doesn’t make any sense,” Bontemps writes. “Sure, the Hornets didn’t have a point guard after losing Kemba Walker, but Tomas Satoransky and Delon Wright were both signed-and-traded for contracts that fit the midlevel exception — half of Rozier’s contract. Tyus Jones was signed by Memphis to a similarly reasonable deal. All of them are in the same range of player as Rozier. This is just the latest head-scratching move by Charlotte over the past decade.”
McMenamin added: “Not only is he replacing one of the most beloved figures in franchise history in Kemba Walker; not only was he one of the major voices of unrest in a testy Boston locker room last season; not only did he once go 2-for-14 from the field (0-for-10 from 3) in a Game 7 at home with a trip to the Finals on the line; but we’re also talking about a guy with career numbers of 38 percent shooting and 2.3 assists per game at point guard earning $19 million a year. It’s mind-boggling.”
It’s certainly tough to justify Rozier’s new deal, and Hornets general manager Mitch Kupchak’s attempt to do so wasn’t exactly a successful one.
