Restricted free agent Terry Rozier will receive a lot of interest this offseason, including from the Boston Celtics.
The more the engagement between the Boston Celtics and Kyrie Irving fades, the more it appears possible Terry Rozier may just end up back wearing green and white as the team’s starting point guard.
While Rozier did just about everything to shoot his way out of town with his mouth at the conclusion of the season, he may have not burned his bridges in Boston.
Following a disappointing season, the 25-year-old guard wants to be a starter in this league. His performance throughout the 2018-19 NBA season following a breakout year didn’t help his matter. But there are still teams (including the Celtics) who still believe in the talent of Rozier and if it’s not Boston, point-guard hungry team will show him the money.
If it is Boston, it would mean Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge has done some major roster reshuffling, including allowing Irving to walk away. During his tour of interviews following the season, Terry Rozier made it clear he has no plan to return if the current roster remains the same.
During an appearance on ESPN’s “First Take” back in May, Rozier was asked by Stephen A. Smith if he would stay in Boston if the roster remained intact. His response summed up his current emotions about how the past season went:
"“No, I might have to go. I might have to go. You know, I put up with a lot this year, so, you know, I said what I said after the season, and I think we all know that I’m not trying to step into that again.”"
Despite his part in that disappointing season, the Louisville product is still confident he will get his shot somewhere. Here are five teams that have either expressed or could use the services of Terry Rozier.
Boston Celtics
Believe it or not, Boston Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge is not disgruntled by Terry Rozier’s comments following the season.
As Rozier has said, he sacrificed his talent to play with stars like Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward. But, at the same time, Rozier can only blame himself for not handling his decrease in playing time or his decreased role better than he did.
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While Ainge didn’t exactly applaud Rozier’s words of criticism at the conclusion of the season, he is still a big fan of the fourth-year guard and doesn’t rule out a future in Boston. Since Terry Rozier will be a restricted free agent, the Celtics can match or decide not to match any offers.
"“You guys know I’m a big fan of Terry’s,” Ainge during his media conference, as transcribed by MassLive.com. “I don’t always agree with how everybody handles the media, just like they probably don’t agree with how I handle the media and things that I say. We don’t always think alike, that’s what makes the game fun. But I’m a big fan of Terry’s, I think that if Terry was in the right circumstance and the right role, I think he would love playing in Boston, is my opinion. And if not, then I think Terry would let me know that. But Terry and I have a very good relationship, as Terry does with Brad [Stevens] as well.”"
In summary, the situation would have to be right for the Boston Celtics to bring back Terry Rozier. Ultimately, that would involve Kyrie Irving leaving during free agency and Rozier getting the opportunity he believes he earned in the 2017-18 season when he was a key contributor in the team’s Eastern Conference Finals run.
Of course, if Rozier is a part of Boston’s future, the team will have to believe that his performance in 2018-19 was just a mirage fueled by an excess of talent at key positions.
New York Knicks
Obviously, if Kyrie Irving does not end up with the New York Knicks, Terry Rozier is rumored to be on their radar at the point guard position.
Talk about irony.
Not only can and probably will Irving be the reason Rozier stays with the Boston Celtics or goes, he may also dictate what team he goes to.
As far as being the Knicks Plan B option, Terry Rozier can get down with that as long as he gets a chance somewhere and why not the big state of New York. During one of those string of interviews that took place at the conclusion of the season, Rozier addressed whether he could envision himself as the starting point guard for the Knicks.
"“I definitely can,” Rozier said during an appearance on “Jalen and Jacoby” on ESPN, via NJ.com. “This is a great organization. Everybody knows about the New York Knicks, their sports market, everybody knows about the city of New York. It’d be great.”"
With the Knicks highly rumored to be in the running for Kevin Durant and potentially trading the No. 3 pick overall to the New Orleans Pelicans for Anthony Davis, Rozier could be a part of something special brewing in the Big Apple.
Then again, so could Kyrie Irving.
If either player ends up leading a team from New York, it would be a major slap in the face to Boston fans. Then again, both players aren’t exactly high on the fan favorite list as of right now.
Orlando Magic
During that same appearance on ESPN’s “Jalen and Jacoby,” Terry Rozier opened himself up to joining any team willing to allow him to be himself.
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"“Just looking for a team that’s going to let me be myself, a team that treats me like family and just go from there,” Rozier continued, via NJ.com. “I’m not a hard person to work with. I’m a team-first type of guy. Whoever I decide to make that decision with, I’m pretty sure it’s going to be great.”"
What Terry Rozier needs is a young team on the rise that plays hard. The Orlando Magic fits the mold of that team and happens to need a starting point guard with some winning experience.
They did trade for 2017 No. 1 overall pick Markelle Fultz, but with his shooting ability in disarray, Rozier is the type of playmaking, scoring guard who could flourish down in Orlando playing alongside young players like Aaron Gordon, Jonathan Isaac, Evan Fournier and Mohamed Bamba.
Actually, adding Terry Rozier to that mix would make the Orlando Magic one exciting young team. This possibility depends on how the chips fall with Kyrie Irving and the Boston Celtics. If he ends up with the Brooklyn Nets, that would leave another point guard in D’Angelo Russell available, who the Magic also reportedly have a ton of interest in.
Houston Rockets
The Houston Rockets won’t be in the market to flow out sign Terry Rozier, but a sign-and-trade deal with the Boston Celtics could work for both teams.
With the Rockets putting most of their team not named James Harden on the trading blocks, Danny Ainge could explore a deal centering on a package involving Rozier.
If rumors are on target, that is exactly what Ainge is doing as talks are reportedly serious with the Rockets regarding big man Clint Capela. That may just be the Celtics contingency plan if they decide to walk away from an Anthony Davis deal and build around Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
Involving Rozier also depends on how things go with Irving and what Ainge may have up his sleeve at the point guard position.
With Chris Paul also reportedly on the trade block, Terry Rozier could have an opportunity to play alongside James Harden on a revamped Rockets team eager to come out of the West.
Phoenix Suns
The young Phoenix Suns team has not held back in their plans to go hard after Terry Rozier this summer.
The team reportedly offered the Boston Celtics a protected first-round pick for Rozier prior to the season. Danny Ainge wanted an unprotected pick. Now that Rozier is a restricted free agent, the Suns can toss around some money that perhaps the Celtics won’t match.
Of course, another scenario would be a sign-and-trade deal that would send Terry Rozier to the Suns for something in return. Instead of a draft pick, perhaps Ainge asks for a player like Josh Jackson, who the team coveted prior to the 2017 NBA Draft.
That potential deal may depend on whether the team trades either Jayson Tatum or Jaylen Brown as adding Jackson to the mix would crowd things up at the wing again.
As far as Terry Rozier’s fit with the Suns. While they are a few seasons away from being competitive, playing on a young team lead by Devin Booker and DeAndre Ayton may be exactly the situation Rozier needs to allow his talents to shine.
Expect Phoenix to be a major player in what happens with Terry Rozier this summer.