Terry Rozier helped lead the Boston Celtics back from a fourth quarter 17-point deficit. Was that the last game he will ever play against the Phoenix Suns?
The Phoenix Suns next play the Boston Celtics (in Boston) on December 19. But will Terry Rozier actually be playing against the Irishmen that evening while attempting to help the Purple Gang upset their Eastern Conference foe?
It is possible, because the Phoenix Suns cannot wait much longer in attempting to salvage this season by finding a point guard to help lead the first-year head coach Igor Kokoskov’s offense. No player has been more widely connected to the Phoenix Suns than Rozier, and now that the rumors of his unhappiness with the Celtics are circling around, there is a decent chance that the two teams come to an agreement prior to their December 19 matchup.
The Suns might be in a position where they are desperate too. Interim General Manager (or whatever his position is) James Jones, could have an eye on the now in an attempt to give himself the in for the position for the foreseeable future.
Phoenix Suns
If he is able to pull off a trade for Rozier and the Suns begin to win at a more respectable pace, then he might be so desperate (and Robert Sarver as well in a bid to keep Devin Booker happy) to pull off a deal for the still career backup point guard.
The problem with a trade for Rozier though is that he is neither a true, pass-centric point guard having never averaged more than 4.3 assists per-36 minutes. He is a score-first guard (which doesn’t really seem to be the Suns’ issue – they have plenty of players who can and love to shoot), and a defensive specialist.
His game is probably not best suited for that of a regular starter as he is more of a matchup nightmare for opponents in short spurts. He is a defender who can rebound (6.6 per-36 minutes in his career and over 7 this season), but succeeds with Kyrie Irving running the offense where Rozier can take advantage of his backup opponents.
Would he be good on the Suns – absolutely! But probably in the same manner that he does the Boston Celtics.
If Phoenix had a legit starting point guard and had Terry Rozier coming off the bench, the Suns would then have the wealth of talent at the position that they have been known to have in the past, although suffer from a tremendous dearth this season.
Of course he is an upgrade over Isaiah Canaan, De’Anthony Melton, and Elie Okobo, and it is presumed that he would move the team in a positive direction as such.
But while Phoenix might win a few extra games, would Rozier be enough to keep Booker happy and the team together for the time being?
Depending on what the Suns offered, would that be worth the risk of him not re-signing, not working out, or whatever Phoenix traded turning out to be worth the value of the trade?
We might get that answer soon enough, and chances are that we’ll know by December 19.
What side of the court will he be playing on that night?
If he’s on the Celtics, chances are that if Phoenix is going to acquire Terry Rozier in the near future, it won’t be until this summer when they can sign him as a restricted free agent.