NBA Rumors: Terry Rozier Could Bolt Boston For The New York Knicks This Summer
Terry Rozier made a name for himself on the Boston Celtics, but now the 25-year-old guard could be ready to leave Beantown and join the team’s divisional rival.
The guard is set to become a restricted free agent this summer, and there appears to be some interest from the New York Knicks. As NBC Sports Boston had reported earlier in the week, Rozier was one of the offseason targets for a rebuilding Knicks team.
Rozier was asked about the team’s interest this week and had plenty of good things to say about the Knicks organization.
“I definitely can,” he said. “This is a great organization. Everybody knows about the New York Knicks, their sports market, everybody knows about the city of New York. It’d be great.”
Rozer added that he could be a good team player, in what could have been a dig at the Celtics. Rozier was stuck in the back of the team’s guard rotation this season, averaging just 22.7 minutes and appearing unhappy in his role.
“Just looking for a team that’s going to let me be myself, a team that treats me like family and just go from there,” he said. “I’m not a hard person to work with. I’m a team-first type of guy. Whoever I decide to make that decision with, I’m pretty sure it’s going to be great.”
The New York Knicks may see Rozier as a complementary piece to bigger offseason plans. The Knicks are believed to be the frontrunner for Kevin Durant, who is reportedly ready to bolt the Golden State Warriors. As NewsDay reported, Durant has chafed over playing in the shadow of Stephen Curry and is “unhappy” with the prodding he’s gotten from head coach Steve Kerr.
A move to New York would give Durant the primary spotlight of the league’s biggest media market. His departure appears even more certain given the strong performance of the Warriors without Durant in the lineup, as the team has continued to roll toward a fifth consecutive NBA Finals appearance and have not slowed with the injury that has sidelined Durant.
Terry Rozier says Kyrie is a great leader but “whatever Kyrie wants done…that's what he wants done,” per @GetUpESPN pic.twitter.com/DuZXk01Owu
— Bleacher Report NBA (@BR_NBA) May 14, 2019
If the Boston Celtics do plan on keeping Terry Rozier, it might not matter how much the Knicks want him. As a restricted free agent, the Celtics have the option of matching any deal another team makes for him. If the Knicks intend to land him, it would likely take a significant offer.
