If Kyrie weren't hurt there would be no talk about moving him, because Rozier's breakout only came about as a starter.
The argument for trading Rozier is:
- He's not as good as Kyrie but he's played himself into being too expensive for the Celtics as a longterm backup
- He's going to be more expensive than Smart and Smart is a better fit off the bench from a roster construction point with Kyrie/Brown/Hayward starting
- His value is likely never going to be higher after a phenomenal playoff run with another cheap year on his rookie deal
- The free agent market is barren this year for point guards as anything other than stopgaps. I mean empty. Assuming CP3 stays in Houston there is just nothing appealing. Tony Parker! IT's hip! Rondo's out there and may have played himself into a starting gig with his playoff run I guess but he's not a longterm answer for anyone.
- Sidenote: if Smart could shoot at all he would be ludicrously rich this offseason.
I would only expect a move on draft night if it's a no-brainer offer. The two biggest factors in whether to cash in Rozier this summer are Kyrie's rehab and Smart's free agency and neither of those will be definitive before the draft. If Smart re-signs, they'll probably look to move Rozier after the first wave of the offseason when teams start to panic.
I've said it before, the destination that makes the most sense for Rozier if he's moved this offseason is Phoenix. They need to show Booker they're committed to improving so he'll sign his extension, they have enough extra draft assets and young bigs to put together a package without hamstringing themselves (Bender, Chriss, #16 this year, future Bucks first, Heat 2021 unprotected first) and plenty of cap space to pay Rozier when he's up.