Opening up the Miami Heat mailbag with this question about trading Terry Rozier and Nikola Jovic.
"Trade Rozier and Jovic while they still have value and stick with Larsson and Highsmith. What (do) you think?"
I don’t think the Heat are in position to merely sell off parts. While Jovic has seen his minutes slip and Rozier’s fit is a concern, the Heat should still see what they can provide in smaller roles.
Rozier, in particular, could be useful as a sixth man. Look at what the Lakers have done since moving D’Angelo Russell to the bench. They’ve won six of their last eight to climb into fourth in the Western Conference. Russell hasn’t played well in all of those games, but his off nights don’t affect them as much and, on his good nights, he leads a bench unit that can swing the game.
Could Rozier have a similar impact if moved out of the starting five? In many ways, Rozier is a prototypical sixth man. He can run some offense and score in bunches. If he’s not playing alongside Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro, he can worry less about deferring and shoot his way out of this slump.
Coach Erik Spoelstra has yet to make his decision on Rozier official, but the Heat have won their last two games with the revamped starting lineup of Herro, Duncan Robinson, Butler, Haywood Highsmith and Adebayo. I see no reason not to stick with it.
As for Jovic, his minutes go up and down. There are nights when he makes an impact, and there are nights (like against the Mavericks on Sunday) when the matchup is difficult. He’s 21. His skillset is intriguing enough that Miami should keep developing him.
The problem is that he was thrust into a larger role before he was ready. Sometimes that happens, and sometimes players step up. Jovic didn’t, but that doesn’t mean you put him on the trade block and deal him to the highest bidder.
Here’s the other thing: How much value do Rozier and Jovic truly have?
In the case of Rozier, there aren’t many teams lining up to trade for an inefficient, defensively limited point guard with two years left on his contract. (Rozier is owed $24.9 million this season and $26.6 million next season.)
As for Jovic, while there are likely front offices who are fans of his talent, he isn’t the kind of player who can serve as the tentpole of a trade package.
Whatever Miami could get for a Rozier and Jovic trade package would likely be a distressed asset. Maybe there’s something that is a better fit, but it’s unclear if that deal is out there. (Utah’s John Collins could be helpful in Miami, if the Jazz are willing.)
For now, I’d like to see how Rozier and Jovic perform in smaller roles off the bench before making major changes. As for Highsmith and Larsson, they are already forcing their way onto the court and earning more playing time.
