Monday’s deadline came and went without a contract extension for Boston Celtics guard Terry Rozier.
It was the end of the first part of an entirely new process for the energetic guard who truly broke out in last year’s postseason run as the de facto starting point guard for the injury-plagued Celtics on their run to the Eastern Conference Finals.
And it’s one that Rozier, a restricted free agent next summer, seems more than happy to put behind him.
To get a break from the misinformation of his contract demands, at the very least.
“It feels so good,” the 24-year-old Rozier said when asked about not having to answer any questions about his contract this season. “First of all, if everyone could leave that damn contract extension stuff alone; Everybody’s trying to make it seem like ‘I’m back, I want $20 million.’ Just to see that all the time, what the hell y’all talking about, you don’t know what y’all talking about.”
Rozier’s reference to those that don’t know what they’re talking about seems like a shot straight at the Boston Globe report right before the deadline that indicated he wanted $20 million per year and/or to be paid like a starter. That obviously did not happen (not yet, anyway), and has put Scary Terry back in his role as the Celtics’ most impactful off the bench scorer.
“But I’m just glad to get it going, excited the season started,” Rozier offered. “It just feels good that I can focus on basketball and do it with the people I care about, my brothers, and just have fun.”
A restricted free agent next summer, Rozier can either sign an offer sheet with another team (which the Celtics would have the right to match) or take a one-year gamble on himself in Boston by way of a qualifying offer and hit the open market in 2020.
Where he’s leaning when that time comes, however, is clearly something that he’ll know more about than any of us.
