4. Terry Rozier
It is a well-known secret that the Los Angeles Lakers do not want to take on too much future money in a potential Russell Westbrook trade. The team is spinning that desire as them simply wanting to remain financially flexible for next offseason to be able to spend in free agency.
While that is certainly part of it, Los Angeles is not going to end up signing a superstar to a big salary anyway. Why? Jeanie Buss and the Lakers seemingly just want to avoid the repeater tax for going over the luxury tax yet again. We have seen this franchise be cheap before (Alex Caruso) so don’t be shocked if that is the main motive.
That could take someone like Terry Rozier out of the equation, which is interesting because on paper, Rozier could make sense for this team. He would add to the logjam of short guards on this roster but he would bring a scoring dynamic that none of the guards on the team has.
Rozier is averaging just a shade under 20 points per game since joining the Charlotte Hornets and has shot 38.9% on 7.7 attempts per game. Fans are all lauding Buddy Hield’s ability to shoot but Rozier is right there with him. In that same time frame, Hield has shot 38.3% on 9.5 attempts per game.
The potential hurdle is the fact that Rozier is under contract for three more seasons at over $20 million per season (with the last year of his deal being partially guaranteed). That is ultimately the reason why the Hornets would be okay moving him, and why the Lakers may scoff at the deal.