Two NBA division rivals swapped veteran guards on Tuesday morning.
The Charlotte Hornets are trading Terry Rozier to the Miami Heat in exchange for Kyle Lowry and a 2027 protected first-round pick, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.
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The Heat are sitting at 24-19 after losing three straight games, with Lowry recently demoted to a bench role. The Hornets, meanwhile, are 10-31 as they look to gain assets to assist their rebuild. Wojnarowski said that Charlotte hopes to redirect Lowry to another team in a trade before the Feb. 8 trade deadline.
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Rozier, 29, is in the midst of his best season as a pro. Over 30 games, he's averaging 23.2 points and 6.6 assists per game -- both career-highs.
While he didn't make the postseason over five years with the Hornets, Rozier did play a key role for the Boston Celtics in playoff runs from 2016 to 2019. Most notably, he served as the Celtics' starting point guard on their way to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2018 after Kyrie Irving got hurt.
The 37-year-old Lowry never made the impact that Miami expected him to when it signed him to a three-year, $85 million deal in 2021. He's averaging 8.2 points and 4.0 assists per game this season -- his lowest scoring output since the 2008-09 season.
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Rozier's contract is fully guaranteed through the 2024-25 season and partially guaranteed in the 2025-26 season, while Lowry's deal is up at the end of this season.
The Heat will take the court for back-to-back home games on Wednesday and Thursday against the Memphis Grizzlies and Celtics, respectively.
