Judge Deals Blow to Terry Rozier’s NBA Comeback Bid

NEW YORK – Terry Rozier is trying to continue his basketball career while awaiting trial in a federal gambling probe.

The veteran combo guard appeared in federal court on Wednesday with attorneys David Markus and Margot Moss as his new representation, seeking to modify the conditions of his release in the criminal case to pursue an NBA contract. The judge ultimately denied the motion to remove Hornets players and coaches from the no-contact list. Rozier’s trial is set to begin on Feb. 8, 2027. 

Markus previously represented Ghislaine Maxwell, Jeffrey Epstein’s longtime accomplice. 

The 6-foot-5 guard was arrested in October and is accused of removing himself from games while with the Hornets in 2023 to manipulate his stats and allow gamblers to profit off his actions. The government recently filed a superseding indictment against Rozier, which adds two more charges to his case, including accepting a bribe to manipulate his performance in games. 

In April, the Heat waived Rozier, who recently lost an arbitration hearing seeking to have his contract paid out after winning the initial ruling. But months later, the arbitrator reversed their decision after deciding that Rozier’s bond terms, which prohibit contact with the Heat and Hornets, prevent him from fulfilling his contract. 

The ruling caused Rozier to miss out on the roughly $26 million he was owed by the Heat for the final year of a four-year, $96.3 million contract he signed in 2021. The Hornets traded Rozier to the Heat in Feb. 2024. 

Markus, who is also seeking to move the case to the Southern District of Florida, where he is based, asked Judge LaShann DeArcy Hall to table a ruling on the matter while Rozier gauges the market for his services. Hall denied the request because she couldn’t issue the order due to multiple hurdles. 

One issue is international travel, because Rozier would hypothetically play against the Toronto Raptors. Government attorneys pointed out that international travel is rarely granted to someone pre-trial, which gives them “tremendous pause” due to a possible risk of flight.  

“Hard no,” a Western Conference executive told Front Office Sports when asked if they would even broach signing Rozier with their colleagues. Another team executive told FOS his GM would treat the idea “as a joke,” if they presented it to them. 

The 32-year-old could hypothetically play in The Basketball Tournament, which is a summer tournament of former college basketball players playing for their schools, or Ice Cube’s Big 3 league, which is full of retired players. Both leagues are played domestically and would meet Rozier’s current conditions, though the TBT recently removed former Kentucky player Kerr Kriisa from its upcoming tournament after Kriisa was arrested for allegedly being part of a multi-million dollar fraud scheme. 

Markus argued that without granting new terms for Rozier’s bond, the NBA could argue that his client can’t seek employment, while Hall said her lack of one doesn’t mean he can’t. 

Hall mentioned she previously shot down another defendant’s attempt to play in Greece, which was former Raptors forward Jontay Porter two years ago. Porter pled guilty in July 2024 and is currently awaiting sentencing. Porter wound up playing in the upstart USBL this past season. 

Government attorneys are open to removing the Hornets’ seven members and the five from the Heat from the no-contact list. Those members are now spread out among four NBA teams, which he likely couldn’t play against or practice with because of his bond term. The current limitations on Rozier could limit a team’s interest in him because of the number of games he can’t play in. 

Another issue for Hall in adjusting Rozier’s terms is that he violated the no-contact list by telling someone that they were on it. Hall asked Markus how he could prevent Rozier from discussing the case during a game or practice. Markus suggested having an attorney present at all times Rozier is on the court.

“Unless you’re suiting up, that doesn’t help me,” Hall replied. 

Hall argued the members from both franchises could be witnesses in the case, which was another issue she had with altering the no-contact list. Markus countered that the discovery in the case doesn’t indicate any of the list’s members were part of the alleged scheme.

“I wish we were starting trial on this case because Terry’s innocent,” Markus told reporters after the hearing. “We look forward to showing the world that he had no involvement in this.”