Boston Celtics: 3 trade possibilities for Terry Rozier
1. Orlando Magic
Why the Celtics say yes:
The Celtics say yes to this because they’re getting a young player with a ton of upside. True, Jonathan Isaac‘s career hasn’t gone the way anyone would have hoped coming out of Florida State as the sixth pick in the 2017 NBA Draft.
The big man was only able to play in 27 games last season, but has luckily already surpassed that total this year, appearing in 38 of the Magic’s 44 games. Isaac can become an elite two-way player in the future, with an emphasis on his defensive upside.
He’s 6’10” and 210 pounds, but has a wingspan of 7’1″. This season he’s averaging 1.1 blocks and 0.7 steals per game. Last season he was able to average over one in each of those categories, though it was over a smaller sample size.
This youngster has yet to play a full season and has shown flashes on both sides. He can expand the floor, but he still has a lot of work do if he wants to be a reliable 3-point shooter. He’s only making 29.6 percent of his 2.6 3-point attempts per game.
Beyond that, he’s averaging 7.9 points and 4.7 rebounds per game. Boston has plenty of guards and forwards on its roster team, but lacks another big body down low. Isaac can play small forward, power forward or even center in the future, but is probably better suited at that 4-spot.
He’s under his rookie contract for a few more years, which makes him even more valuable because he will come cheap until he’s due for an extension. Imagine a lineup of him and Robert Williams; that would be an athletic duo who will block virtually anything at the rim.
The Celtics can fork over one of their four first round picks, as the Los Angeles Clippers pick will likely be mid-to-late first round.
Why the Magic say yes:
Losing Isaac is not something the team would like to do, but eventually the Magic need to sit down and make some decisions. They have an abundance of big men on their roster and they’re slowing down their development process by trying to find minutes for everyone.
The Magic need to upgrade the point guard position the most. D.J. Augustin is a good veteran, but he’s not a starter on a winning team. Orlando would not only free up time for Mohamed Bamba and Aaron Gordon, but would also be upgrading a position of need.
Terry Rozier is a different player when he’s given the opportunity to start. As a starter in five games this season, he’s averaging 12.6 points, 5.2 assists, 5.0 rebounds and 1.8 steals per game. Last season is a perfect example of the energy and intensity he can bring to a team if he’s given the starting position consistently.
This season hasn’t gone the way Rozier and the Celtics would have liked. He will bring a chip on his shoulder, trying to prove people in the NBA that he should have been given the starter’s job a while ago.
dark. Next. 5 NBA teams that should trade for Dennis Smith Jr.
All three of these trades help the Celtics’ future, despite the upside Rozier still brings to the table. The cost to keep him may be too much for the team next season and losing him for nothing would be even worse. The trade deadline is Feb. 7 and he’s certainly a name worth watching.