NBA Rumors: 4 Hornets still on chopping block after Terry Rozier trade

Let the Charlotte Hornets' fire sale begin.

Mitch Kupchak and the front office agreed to trade Terry Rozier to the Miami Heat on Tuesday. In return, Charlotte will receive Kyle Lowry and Miami's protected 2027 first-round pick. It is expected to be the first of potentially many trades for Charlotte ahead of the Feb. 8 trade deadline.

"The Hornets aren't done dealing yet," reports ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. "[The plan is to] continue accumulating future assets."

Charlotte is 10-31 after a thrilling win over the No. 1 seed Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday. Despite strong production from franchise pillars LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller, it's clear the Hornets won't contend in the near future. Rather than vain attempts to stay afloat, it would appear Charlotte is willing to strip the roster and reset ahead of the 2024 NBA Draft.

Here are the players most likely to be dealt in the coming weeks.

4. Hornets will look to flip Kyle Lowry once more

Kyle Lowry's contract, worth $29.7 million, expires at season's end. He is essentially dead weight on the Hornets' salary cap. That impending offseason flexibility is a useful tool, however, and it could help Charlotte land more picks or prospects by flipping Lowry to another team.

Charlotte is at the front end of a rebuild, so there's every reason to offer Lowry to teams around the league in exchange for albatross contracts and draft compensation. The Hornets should engage with teams like Chicago, for example. Zach LaVine has no trade market, but the Bulls could be tempted to offload of his contract for a small fee. Ben Simmons? John Collins? Charlotte can stockpile draft picks just by absorbing long-term money.

Lowry can still provide value to a contender, albeit not in line with the value of his current deal. For the season, Lowry is averaging 8.2 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 4.2 assists on .426/.385/.833 splits in 28.0 minutes. His 3-point shooting and general smarts still go a long way, but he can't defend or score inside the arc like he used to.

In all likelihood, Lowry is a buyout candidate whether he gets traded again or not. From there, his hometown Philadelphia 76ers and the New York Knicks seem like prime landing spots.