Report: Miami Heat, Charlotte Hornets Agree to Trade
Mired in a crowded Eastern Conference race, the Miami Heat are reportedly making an upgrade in the backcourt.
The Heat are trading guard Kyle Lowry to the Charlotte Hornets for guard Terry Rozier, according to a Tuesday morning report from Shams Charania of The Athletic. Per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Miami will send the Hornets a 2027 first-round pick; that pick is lottery-protected in ’27 and will lose its protections in 2028, according to Jake Fischer of Yahoo!.
Rozier, 29, is averaging a career-high 23.2 points per game in 2024—albeit for a struggling Charlotte team, which improved to 10–31 after beating the Minnesota Timberwolves Monday.
JUST JN: Miami is nearing a trade to acquire Charlotte's Terry Rozier for a package sending Kyle Lowry and draft compensation that includes a first-round pick, league sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. pic.twitter.com/FGFkpDifYe
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) January 23, 2024
The Charlotte Hornets are trading Terry Rozier to the Miami Heat for a 2027 first-round pick and Kyle Lowry, sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) January 23, 2024
The 2027 first-round pick Miami is sending to Charlotte for Terry Rozier is lottery protected, per source, and then becomes unprotected in 2028.
— Jake Fischer (@JakeLFischer) January 23, 2024
The Louisville product provides ample playoff experience from his years with the Boston Celtics, for whom he was a legitimate star in the 2018 postseason.
Lowry, on the other hand, is nearing the end of a decorated career. The 18-year veteran (and six-time All-Star) will turn 38 in March and is averaging 15-year lows in both points and assists per game.
According to Wojnarowski, the Hornets may try to flip Lowry before the trade deadline on Feb. 8.
The Hornets have no immediate plans to work on a buyout with Lowry and are expected to see if they can work another trade for him before the February 8 deadline, sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) January 23, 2024
The Heat are currently sixth in the Eastern Conference with a record of 24–19.