Knicks Rumors: NYK had interest in Terry Rozier before Leon Rose hire

The trade never came to fruition, but the New York Knicks pondered a Terry Rozier trade at the deadline. Could he become an option once more this offseason?

The New York Knicks have spent the better part of the past 20 years searching for the answer at point guard. That pursuit has led New York to the likes of Raymond Felton, Steve Francis, Jarrett Jack, Jason Kidd, Stephon Marbury, Elfrid Payton, Nate Robinson, and Derrick Rose.

Some experiments have worked out better than others, but the bottom line in New York appears to be that finding a franchise point guard is the top priority.

It’s easy to understand this rationale, as the NBA has shifted heavily in the favor of teams with high-level players at the lead guard position. Stephen Curry and Russell Westbrook each won MVP, and the likes of Kyrie Irving, Damian Lillard, and Chris Paul are postseason mainstays.

According to Ian Begley of SNY, the Knicks were considering a trade for another productive point guard before team president Leon Rose took over: Terry Rozier.

"…prior to the news of the Rose hire, there was strong support in some corners of the organization to try to acquire Charlotte guard Terry Rozier, per sources.The framework of one deal that had internal support sent Julius Randle, Smith Jr. and a future first-round pick to Charlotte for a package that included Rozier and Malik Monk, per sources."

The trade never came to fruition, but it’s entirely possible that Rozier could be targeted once more during the 2020 NBA offseason.

Rozier signed a frontloaded three-year deal worth $56.7 million last summer. As such, he still has two seasons and just over $36.8 million coming his way before entering unrestricted free agency in 2022.

There’s certainly reason for intrigue, however, including his 50 games of postseason experience—at just 26 years of age.

Rozier has reached the Eastern Conference Finals on two different occasions, even starting for the Boston Celtics during their improbable run in 2018.

Thus far in 2019-20, Rozier has managed to establish himself as a more than capable scorer. He’s averaging 18.0 points, 4.4 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 1.0 steal, and 2.7 three-point field goals made per game on a slash line of .423/.407/.874.

A career 37.1 percent shooter from beyond the arc, Rozier has a skill that New York is searching for. However, it may come at a significant cost.

The question is: Will recently-hired New York Knicks team president Leon Rose be as fond of Terry Rozier as Steve Mills appeared to be?