NBA Union Says It Will Fight Decision to Withhold Rozier’s Pay

Terry Rozier and Chauncey Billups will not be paid while on their leaves of absence, according to multiple reports.

Though the league’s collective bargaining agreement says that players on leave are to be paid, their paychecks will instead be withheld while awaiting the results of the federal investigations that led to their arrests last week. 

The union for NBA players, the National Basketball Players Association, said it will fight for Rozier to continue to be paid.

“While we are in agreement with the league that upholding the integrity of the game is of the utmost importance, their decision to place Terry on leave without pay is counter to the presumption of innocence and inconsistent with the terms of our Collective Bargaining Agreement,” an NBPA spokesperson told Front Office Sports. “We plan to challenge their decision via the proper channels.”

Rozier is accused of giving inside information to a friend to help him win prop bets, while Billups was allegedly part of a rigged poker scheme. A total of 34 people were arrested.

The NBA announced soon after the arrests that Rozier and Billups were placed on leave. 

NBA commissioner Adam Silver said Friday on Amazon Prime Video that Rozier was placed on “administrative leave,” a specific category outlined in the league’s CBA. 

Exhibits F-7 and F-8 on administrative leave read:

“While on administrative leave, the player shall be ineligible to play in any of his team’s games. However, the player will continue to receive his salary and other welfare benefits to which he would be entitled as an active player.”

The NBA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Rozier, who is currently on the Heat, is in the final year of a four-year, $96.3 million contract, which he signed with the Hornets in August 2021. His salary for the 2025–26 season is $26.6 million, with $24.9 million guaranteed. He had made $133.8 million over a 10-year career before this season.

The Heat and NBA are in “ongoing discussions” about salary-cap relief for Rozier’s contract, the Miami Herald reported Wednesday.

Billups, the head coach of the Trail Blazers, signed a multiyear contract extension in April. The exact terms of the contract are unclear, but The Oregonian reported that Billups received a raise from the $4.7 million he made last season. The deal runs through the 2027–28 season.

Billups made $106.8 million over a 17-year Hall of Fame career. He’s been the Blazers’ head coach since the 2021–22 season, after starting as an assistant coach on the Clippers the year before.

The NBA Coaches Association, the group that represents NBA coaches, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.