Charlotte Hornets’ leading scorer Terry Rozier agreed to a four-year, $97 million contract extension per Shams Charania of The Athletic.
Rozier would have been an unrestricted free agent next offseason, but the new extension keeps him in Buzz City thru the 2025-26 season.
In his second season with the Hornets, Rozier, 27, averaged 20.4 points on 45.0 percent shooting, 4.4 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game, all career-highs.
Terry Rozier is going to be one of the highest paid guards in the NBA after a career year with the Hornets last season 🏀
Congratulations Terry, well-deserved! 👏 pic.twitter.com/u68p7vMYfu
— Hornets Nation (@HornetsNationCP) August 19, 2021
The six-year veteran played well with last year’s Kia NBA Rookie of the Year LaMelo Ball, and Rozier has found the city of Charlotte and the organization to be a good fit after coming from the Boston Celtics in exchange for guard Kemba Walker.
“I had a lot of fun,” Rozier said, during his Hornets’ exit interview. “It’s been a long season and different than the usual. There’s a lot of promising things that we’ve shown and seen. We’re only looking to grow and get better as a whole. Ending the season how we ended it with six straight losses is never fun, but we’re building something, and we’re looking forward to what’s ahead. I’m happy to be here. I like this organization a lot, and I love this city a lot. I’m just looking to grow and get better with my guys around me.”
The Hornets finished 33-39 last season and made the play-in tournament but fell to the Indianan Pacers.
With their core of Rozier, Gordon Hayward, Ball, Miles Bridges, P.J.Washington, 11th pick James Bouknight, and free agent Kelly Oubre Jr., Charlotte has a strong and young team that could go deeper this year in the playoffs.
The Hornets play their first preseason game on October 4 against the Oklahoma City Thunder.