The Celtics Should Trade Terry Rozier
Unexpected early-season Celts subplot: Terry Rozier (restricted FA next summer) has been unhappy w/ his PT all season, word has gotten around the league, and everyone now knows the Celtics need to trade him… which, of course, makes it harder to trade him.
— Bill Simmons (@BillSimmons) November 7, 2018
First things first here, I don’t care if he’s from Boston, I really don’t like Bill Simmons all that much.
For him to say that this is an “un-expected” sub-plot is out of this world to me. You really don’t think the guy who started a good chunk of last season is going to get pissed when his minutes start to decrease? Give me a break. I don’t care what Rozier said during camp about his willingness to step back once Kyrie returned either. These guys are competitors at the highest level, and at the end of the day, they want to perform to their highest ability. Rozier knows what it’s like to be a starter in this league, and at his age, he shouldn’t be comfortable with his minutes right now. I sure as hell wouldn’t be.
But regardless of everything I just said, I do think the C’s should move on from Terry. I’ll admit that I was in the (stupid) group of people that thought he should’ve been traded at last year’s deadline for Serge Ibaka. In hindsight, I’m glad they didn’t make a move then, because his value sky rocketed during the Celtics ensuing playoff run. If it weren’t for him, we wouldn’t have even made the Conference Finals. I’ll always be thankful for that.
So why do I think they should move on? To put it simply, they don’t have much of a choice at this point. If the rumors regarding him being pissed off about his minutes have any truth to him, we need to sell now before the situation becomes toxic. If he pulls a Jimmy Butler and openly demands a trade, his value is going to plummet. And if they do keep him through the deadline, they won’t have the money to retain him in restricted free agency. It’s a lose-lose situation.
My only concern about this is that I don’t think Ainge wants to move on from Terry right now. The trade deadline could be a different story, but I’ve got a weird feeling Danny thinks this team could beat Golden State in a 7-game series. If that’s the case, he’d probably hold on to a guy like Rozier, who’s proven he can step it up when the lights are at their brightest.
I really hope Ainge doesn’t believe that, because there’s no way they’re winning the Finals this season. I believe they’ve got a very good shot to get there, but the Warriors are an absolute unit out West. Durant and Curry are humming right now, and when DeMarcus Cousins comes back, they’re going to be even more unfair and terrifying than they already are. So Danny, if for some strange reason you’re reading this, first of all hi, but second of all, please capitalize on Terry’s value now before it’s too late. I would hate to see the guy walk for nothing this off-season when the Suns offer him the max and you can’t match it. Just do the smart thing. Please.
-Nick Cherico (@CouchGuyCherico)
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