Terry Rozier, Hornets Agree on 4-Year, $97M Max Contract Extension

The Charlotte Hornets have reached an agreement with guard Terry Rozier on a four-year, $97 million maximum contract extension through the 2025-26 NBA season.

Aaron Turner, Rozier's agent, confirmed the deal to Shams Charania of Stadium and The Athletic. 

Rozier is set to enter the final season of his previous three-year, $56.7 million contract. His new deal will kick in beginning with the 2022-23 campaign.

The 27-year-old University of Louisville product is coming off a season where he averaged a career-high 20.4 points across 69 appearances for the Hornets. He also put up 4.4 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 3.2 threes and 1.3 steals per game.

Charlotte ended the 2020-21 season on an ill-timed losing streak, including a blowout loss to the Indiana Pacers in the play-in tournament, but Rozier said during his exit interview that it didn't dampen the team's bright future.

"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," Rozier told reporters. "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 continued to add to their core of Rozier, LaMelo Ball, P.J. Washington, Gordon Hayward and Miles Bridges in the offseason. They signed forward Kelly Oubre Jr., who should provide a much-needed two-way boost on the wing, and they selected guard James Bouknight with the 11th overall pick in the draft.

Charlotte will continue to lean heavily on the scoring ability of Rozier, who always showed the potential to become a lethal scorer during his four seasons with the Boston Celtics but didn't capitalize on it until he stepped into a bigger role with the Hornets following the July 2019 trade.

While the Ohio native could still benefit from becoming a more efficient shooter, his 45 percent shooting from the field last season did mark a 4 percent increase from his career average. He also shot a rock-solid 38.9 percent from three-point range.

The Hornets are betting his marked improvement over the last two seasons will continue, which could turn his new extension into a bargain amid the peak of his career.