The New York Knicks reportedly have interest in Charlotte Hornets guard Terry Rozier. What would the pros and cons be of trading for Rozier?
The New York Knicks are turning over every stone in their pursuit of the ideal fit at point guard. While many speculate that the answer could be found at the 2020 NBA Draft, it appears as though the organization was considering a different approach before the trade deadline.
According to Ian Begley of SNY, the Knicks have expressed widespread interest in pursuing a trade for Charlotte Hornets guard Terry Rozier.
Rozier, 26, is in the midst of his fifth NBA season and his first with the Hornets. He spent the previous four with the Boston Celtics, where he split time between the starting role and that of the first guard off the bench.
Per Begley, the Knicks had seen enough of Rozier to believe that he could be worth Julius Randle and a first-round draft pick.
"…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."
There’s a great deal of information to be unpackaged here, but the bottom line appears to be that the Knicks are still looking for the answer at point guard.
The necessary context before moving forward is that the interest in Rozier predated the hiring of team president Leon Rose. As such, it’s entirely possible that the desire to trade for Rozier was exclusive to the Steve Mills regime, and will not be pursued this coming offseason.
Nevertheless, it’s important to ponder the question: If the Knicks were to execute a trade for Rozier, what would the pros and cons of the deal truly be?
It’s not as easy of a question to answer as it may seem.