Brian Windhorst suggests Terry Rozier as potential Lakers trade target

The Los Angeles Lakers are expected to make a move before the Feb. 8 trade deadline. Their roster has struggled to build on their Western Conference Finals appearance last season. In typical Lakers fashion, the franchise has been linked to every big name that's reportedly on the trade market. 

However, ESPN's Brian Windhorst believes Rob Pelinka should take a look at a player he was interested in last year, Terry Rozier. His comments came via the "Brian Windhorst & The Hoop Collective" podcast. 

“I’m calling Charlotte, I’m inquiring about Terry Rozier, I’m at least checking to see if he might be available at a significantly lower cost," Windhorst said. "Because I think that that’s a guy who would give you a lot of the stuff you need and wouldn’t cost you as much. It’s not the big splash, although he is averaging 23 points per game. Just nobody knows that because the Hornets are so [bad].”

Pelinka has long held an interest in Rozier. Marc Stein reported the Lakers' interest in the Hornets guard back in October of 2022, long before they ended up adding D'Angelo Russell at the trade deadline last season. 

"The Lakers' interest in Charlotte's Terry Rozier as a potential headliner in a Russell Westbrook trade is not new," Stein reported. "You'll recall that this Substack has been writing since April about L.A.'s fondness for the former Celtic in potential Westbrook-centric trade discussions with Charlotte."