12/16/25 07:11:00
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12/16 19:10 CST NBA will look into granting relief to Miami Heat over Terry
Rozier, commissioner says
NBA will look into granting relief to Miami Heat over Terry Rozier,
commissioner says
By TIM REYNOLDS
AP Basketball Writer
LAS VEGAS (AP) --- The NBA is not sure how long the various investigations and
legal processes surrounding gambling charges faced by Miami guard Terry Rozier,
Portland coach and Basketball Hall of Fame inductee Chauncey Billups and others
will take to be completed, Commissioner Adam Silver said Tuesday.
But the league will look into the possibility of giving Miami some sort of
"satisfactory relief," Silver added, though he stopped short of saying such a
move would be possible.
"This is an unprecedented situation," Silver said.
It's a multi-layered issue for the league and the Heat, given that Rozier's
$26.6 million salary takes up about 17% of the team's cap space --- and that
the team still owes Charlotte a first-round pick in either 2027 or 2028 to
satisfy the terms of the trade that brought Rozier to Miami.
Rozier pleaded not guilty earlier this month to wire fraud and money laundering
conspiracy charges stemming from accusations that he helped some friends win
bets that revolved around his statistical performance in a game played in March
2023, when he was with Charlotte. Rozier is free on $3 million bond and isn't
expected back in court until March, and he remains on unpaid leave from the
Heat.
Prosecutors say Rozier informed the bettors that he intended to leave the game
against the New Orleans Pelicans early with a supposed injury, allowing
gamblers to place wagers earning them tens of thousands of dollars. Rozier
played the first nine minutes and 36 seconds of the game before leaving, citing
a foot issue. He did not play again that season and was subsequently traded to
the Heat.
Rozier isn't receiving his pay, but his salary is still on the Heat's books and
is being sent to an interest-bearing account pending resolution of his case or
some other agreement.
"We're going to try to work something through, work this out with them," Silver
said. "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.
... Obviously, he hasn't been convicted of anything yet either --- but this is
an unfortunate circumstance. Sometimes there's these unique events and maybe
sometimes they require a unique solution."
Billups also pleaded not guilty last month to charges related to a separate
scheme to fix high-stakes, Mafia-backed poker games. Rozier, Billups and former
NBA guard Damon Jones were among more than 30 people --- including several
Mafia figures --- arrested in October as part of a sprawling federal takedown
of illegal gambling operations linked to pro sports.
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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA
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