Rozier is the backup point guard in Boston, but he’s hitting restricted free agency in the summer when the first wave of cap bump contracts are coming off the books. So there are going to be a lot f teams in the market for help in the summer of ‘19.Why is everybody so keen on trading Rozier? Given the durability issues, I wouldn't be so confident about Irving making it back to peak condition. Rozier has a great handle, low turnover ratios, and improving distribution skills.
Rozier’s going to get paid like a starter and Boston isn’t going to be in a position to pay him given that they’re going to be re-signing Irving to a 30% of the cap deal. Smart’s going to be closer to the MLE due to the lack of teams with cap space and the amount that somene’s going to have to pay Smart to be a sixth man. There just aren’t going to be a lot of bidders for him.
If they can move Rozier for a mid first and draft a replacement on rookie scale then they have four more years of cheap backup, and possibly a long term Irving replacement if they don’t want his post-30 contract.