Hornets trade draft selection to Heat to settle Terry Rozier issue
The Charlotte Hornets are transferring a 2026 second-round draft selection to the Miami Heat to settle a conflict regarding Terry Rozier, who is currently under investigation by both the NBA and federal authorities for an alleged gambling conspiracy linked to the teams’ trade in 2024, sources informed ESPN’s Shams Charania on Monday.
In December, NBA commissioner Adam Silver stated that the league would explore the option of providing Miami with some form of “satisfactory relief” due to Rozier’s inability to participate in games.
“This is an unprecedented situation,” Silver remarked at that time.
This matter presented a complex challenge for both the league and the Heat, considering that Rozier’s $26.6 million salary accounted for approximately 17% of the team’s salary cap — and the fact that the team still owes the Hornets a first-round pick in either 2027 or 2028 to fulfill the conditions of the trade that brought Rozier to Miami. It remains uncertain who was aware of Rozier’s federal investigation at the time the Heat executed the trade with the Hornets.
Rozier has entered a plea of not guilty to charges of conspiracy related to wire fraud and money laundering.
Federal prosecutors claim that Rozier informed an associate of his intention to exit early during a March 2023 game while he was with the Hornets. This associate allegedly sold the information to gamblers, who then placed bets exceeding $200,000 on the under regarding Rozier’s performance statistics in that game.
An arbitrator ruled in February in favor of Rozier concerning a salary dispute with the NBA that emerged following his indictment in the gambling investigation, sources told ESPN.
The Heat and the NBA agreed to place Rozier’s salary for the 2025-26 season in escrow after his arrest and indictment in October as part of a federal gambling investigation that also resulted in charges against Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups.
The NBPA has appealed the decision to withhold his salary, which is approximately $26.6 million.
ESPN’s Tim Bontemps and David Purdum contributed to this report.
