Report: Celtics guard Terry Rozier unhappy with playing time
Boston Celtics guard Terry Rozier is unhappy with his playing time, and teams are beginning to monitor the situation in pursuit of a potential trade for the volume-scoring guard, according to Bill Simmons of The Ringer.
Unexpected early-season Celts subplot: Terry Rozier (restricted FA next summer) has been unhappy w/ his PT all season, word has gotten around the league, and everyone now knows the Celtics need to trade him... which, of course, makes it harder to trade him.
— Bill Simmons (@BillSimmons) November 7, 2018
The teams that make the most sense are Phoenix and Orlando, but neither team should be trading an asset to have a BETTER record this season.
— Bill Simmons (@BillSimmons) November 7, 2018
Intriguing possibility: San Antonio.
So, that’s something.
Now, Simmons is not exactly as tuned in as ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski or The Athletic’s Shams Charania, but he has worked with NBA broadcasts and obviously does have people he talks to, be it for his podcast or just in general given his notoriety throughout the league. Known as an unabashed Celtics diehard, too, it’s not hard to imagine a league executive needling Simmons or alerting him to the fact that things might not be so perfect with his favorite team.
Those factors alone give this rumor some sort of legitimacy.
There’s also the fact that Rozier being upset with his playing time would make all the sense in the world.
It was just last postseason that the 24-year-old got his first real taste of being a starter in the NBA. And in the playoffs, no less. Filling in for the injured Kyrie Irving as the C’s starting point guard for the entirety of their 19-game 2018 postseason run, Rozier broke out with 16.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 5.7 assists per game, along with a team-leading 36.6 minutes per game.
Through 10 games this season, Rozier has been relegated to third-string guard duty behind Irving and Marcus Smart, and is averaging under 23 minutes per night, with just 7.5 points and 4.4 rebounds per night. ‘Scary Terry’ is also in a contract year, and is a restricted free agent at the year’s end, which comes with obvious pressure to perform and earn big money next summer. Rozier clearly knows that’s hard to do when you’re buried down the bench, even on an ultra-talented Celtic squad.