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Before the NBA Cup final between the Knicks and Spurs Tuesday, NBA commissioner Adam Silver spoke for the first time since Terry Rozier, Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups, and former player Damon Jones were arrested by the FBI in October as part of a federal probe into illegal gambling.
When asked if the Heat have the power to trade Rozier, Silver—despite his authority—wasn’t certain.
“This is an unprecedented situation,” Silver said. “I think I’m incredibly sympathetic to the Heat and to their fans. But I think we’re going to try to work something through, work this out with them. But there’s no obvious solution here. I would just say that there’s no doubt at the moment they have a player that can’t perform services for them. And as to the draft pick they conveyed—obviously he hasn’t been convicted of anything yet, either, but this is an unfortunate circumstance.”
Rozier is in the final year of a four-year, $95 million deal that he signed in August 2021. He is on the Heat’s cap sheet for $26.6 million this season, which is about 17% of the team’s cap.
The Heat acquired him from the Hornets in January 2024. The Hornets in the trade got Kyle Lowry and a 2027 first-round pick that is top-16 protected. If it doesn’t convey in 2027, it would become an unprotected 2028 first-round pick. The Heat have said they weren’t aware of the NBA’s gambling inquiry with Rozier when they acquired him, while the Hornets haven’t commented on it.
The Heat could file a grievance with the NBA for not being informed about its investigation into Rozier before trading for him. No statute of limitations exists on filing one, and because the draft pick hasn’t been conveyed yet, the deal is technically not fully completed.
As an expensive expiring contract, Rozier would hypothetically be a great trade piece to help in a deal. But the Heat would need to get permission from the NBA to do so.
“Sometimes there’s unique events and maybe sometimes they require unique solutions,” Silver said on Tuesday. “We’ll be looking at this with the Heat and the other teams in the league and see if there’s any satisfactory relief, but at the moment there is none.”
Rozier and Billups have been on leave since their arrests. Rozier has been charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering. Each charge carries a maximum of up to 20 years in prison. He would also have to forfeit any ill-gotten gains if convicted.
On Tuesday, federal prosecutors raised a possible conflict of interest in its ongoing investigation of Rozier, warning that his covering of legal fees for friend and co-defendant De’Niro Laster could compromise the case. Laster is being represented by M. Evan Corcoran.
In the October indictment, federal prosecutors said Rozier—while playing for the Hornets in March 2023—told Laster he would fake an injury and remove himself from a game in the first quarter. Laster sold the information to co-conspirators, who bet the under on multiple Rozier statistics for roughly $100,000, according to the indictment. Laster faces the same charges as Rozier.
Rozier’s attorney, Jim Trusty, told Front Office Sports that they plan on filing a response to the DOJ. “In the meantime, neither Terry’s longstanding generosity towards a friend since childhood nor Evan Corcoran’s representation create any actual ethical issues in this case,” he said.
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