With Devonte’ Graham now a member of the New Orleans Pelicans, the Charlotte Hornets decided to make sure LaMelo Ball has a long-term running mate in the team’s backcourt. According to Shams Charania of The Athlete, the team and veteran guard Terry Rozier came to terms on a contract extension.
The new deal is a max extension for Rozier, who has blossomed since coming to the team in 2019 after Kemba Walker left for the Boston Celtics, and is slated to pay him $97 million over the next four years. As a result, Rozier is signed with the team until the 2025-26 season.
Charlotte Hornets guard Terry Rozier has agreed to a four-year, $97 million max contract extension, his agent Aaron Turner of @VerusTeam told @TheAthletic @Stadium. The guaranteed deal takes Rozier through the 2025-26 season.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) August 19, 2021
After showing flashes during his time with the Celtics, Rozier has turned into a foundational piece in the Queen City. He’s started every game in which he’s appeared over the last two seasons and especially thrived last year as a running mate next to both Ball and Graham. Rozier was the team’s top scorer, averaging 20.4 points per game (the highest of his career) on 45 percent shooting from the field and 38.9 percent shooting from three. He also managed to put up career-best marks in assists (4.2 per game) and steals (1.3 a night) while tying his career-high with 4.4 rebounds per game.
Rozier was something of a streaky player during his time with Boston, but he’s managed to parlay more playing time and a consistent starting role in Charlotte into plenty of success on the floor. As a result, the team made it a point to keep him around for the foreseeable future.