This is what team general manager Andy Elisburg revealed in a recent interview with Sirius XM NBA radio. Elisburg stated that their priority was Terry Rozier, which limited their ability to make offseason moves.
“Our free agent move this year was the Terry (Rozier) move. We just decided to do it early… Probably took us out of being able to do something with the mid-level, with sign-and-trades because of the apron rules that prevent that.”
The Heat have Rozier under contract for two more years. His salary prevented them from pursuing other free agents, leaving them with the options of trading Duncan Robinson or Tyler Herro.
As a result, the Heat will essentially return with the same roster as the past two seasons. Rozier remains confident the team can still compete for a title.
“I think the fans are bored right now,” Rozier said. “They want to put as many [trade] scenarios together for us as they can. At the end of the day, we want to run it back with our same team. Obviously, that’s what it’s looking like. We want to show the fans what we can bring to Miami.”
Rozier played only 10 games with Tyler Herro, Jimmy Butler, and Bam Adebayo. When healthy, this lineup can compete against any team in the Eastern Conference, giving coach Erik Spoelstra a chance.
“I only played with those guys for 10 games,” Rozier said. “I’ve only been on the Heat for about 30 games. Just putting it all together starting at training camp and figuring it out together, I think we’ll be fine with the great mind of Spo.”
