Terry Rozier traded to Heat: Here's all the fantasy basketball fallout
Most of the Monday NBA headlines lead with Joel Embiid's historic 70-point night and Karl-Anthony Town's 62-point blunder. And what did the NBA gods bless us with the next day — a trade!
Charlotte isn't not done trading and will likely continue moving pieces until the Feb. 8 deadline.
Here are the fantasy implications of this trade:
RISERS
Brandon Miller – SG/SF - Charlotte Hornets
It's Miller Time!
The rookie out of Alabama has found his groove recently, and the timing couldn't have been better. The decision to move Rozier drastically changes the landscape for the Hornets and Miller now that the rookie will be one of their primary scoring options in the future.
He's coming off a 27-point outing against the top team in the Western Conference and three straight games of at least 23 points. He had a three-game stretch in October where he averaged 17 points with six boards with an efficient 47/44/90 shooting split, and we could be seeing more of that now that he'll be a focal point of the offense.
Between injuries and the Hornets looking to come off of veterans like Miles Bridges, Gordon Hayward and PJ Washington — the skeleton crew surrounding Ball and Miller should only bolster their upside for the rest of the season. Miller's been a top-70 player for the last two weeks, and he should be rostered in all leagues with Rozier moving on to Miami.
He's still available in 40% of Yahoo leagues, so pick him up immediately if he's on waivers.
LaMelo Ball – PG - Charlotte Hornets
Rozier was the de-facto point guard whenever Melo was off the floor and now that he's gone, Ball's assist and scoring potential is exactly what fantasy managers need to fulfill his destiny as a first-round pick. His numbers will rise across the board after this trade and perhaps even more so if the Hornets continue their fire sale.
Rookie Nick Smith Jr. will also get a bump in minutes for those looking for super-deep-league sleepers.
FALLERS
Tyler Herro – PG/SG, Miami Heat
Herro's sporting a career-high 29% usage rate this season, but I'm afraid that's going down with Rozier coming over in the deal. Rozier is a combo guard like Herro, and while they can co-exist in the backcourt, there are going to be some sacrifices in terms of ball-handling and facilitation of the offense.
I think we'll see Herro play off-ball more since he's better suited as a shooting guard than a point guard. He'll still handle the rock, especially with Jimmy Butler in and out of the lineup, but Rozier will eat into that opportunity a bit. Herro is a good fantasy player and while it'll sting initially, he can still maintain his fifth-round ADP.
Terry Rozier - PG/SG, Miami Heat
I had Rozier as a sell-high a few weeks ago because he was playing at a second-round level pretty much since LaMelo Ball was out. Now that he goes to a Miami Heat team featuring a few All-Star-caliber players, he won't sustain being a top-24 player in fantasy basketball.
Now, on a positive note, he joined a playoff contender that has no risk of shutting him down later in the season. Still, it's hard to imagine he'll be as effective as he was in Charlotte, reaping all the benefits of a sorry franchise riddled with injuries and drama.
What about Bam Adebayo and Jimmy Butler?
I could argue that Rozier's presence could affect Bam Adebayo and Jimmy Butler's assist rate, but I think it'll balance out as Coach Spo has another versatile guard to help Miami's sometimes-stagnant offense. Bringing in Rozier is a great basketball move, but only time will tell how this will impact the other stars on this roster.
Should you drop anyone?
Duncan Robinson is most impacted, as he's stepped up after all the injuries. He can play SG or SF, but once Jaime Jaquez Jr. returns, there's little room for Robinson to play a role with enough meaningful minutes to warrant holding in fantasy basketball. He was on his way down, and this trade sealed the deal.
