The year began on a rough note for Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier, but it may be ending on a slightly steadier one. He has been under FBI investigation for his alleged role in an illegal sports betting scheme dating back to 2023, during his time with the Charlotte Hornets. Reports claim that Rozier conspired with Jontay Porter to manipulate his on-court performance in line with unusual betting spikes. With Rozier later arrested, his future in Miami has been left hanging.

That’s where the biggest question now sits: will the league step in and rescind his trade?

The answer is no.

Ahead of the NBA Cup final, Adam Silver finally broke his silence on Terry Rozier’s trade situation. “In terms of Miami, this is an unprecedented situation,” Silver said before admitting, “But there’s no obvious solution here.” Ironically, the statement came from the very heart of a gambling-linked controversy, Las Vegas itself, a city the NBA continues to lean on for marquee events like the NBA Cup final and Summer League.

The situation is complex. Rozier can’t play and isn’t receiving his salary, but his $26.6 million contract still counts, taking up about 17% of Miami’s cap space. That money is currently sitting in an interest-bearing account until the case is resolved.

To make things more complicated, Miami still owes the Charlotte Hornets a first-round pick in either 2027 or 2028 as part of the trade, and it’s unclear who knew about the federal investigation when the deal was made.

The league is at least exploring ways to help. Miami Heat could potentially receive some form of cap relief, possibly similar to a disabled player exception worth about half of Rozier’s contract.

But there’s another option on the table too: keeping Rozier’s deal on the books and using it as an expiring contract in a future trade, something that could help Miami match salaries for a major star, even a name as big as Giannis Antetokounmpo.

As for the draft pick owed to Charlotte, Silver didn’t shut the door completely. While it seems unlikely that the Heat would simply regain that pick, the commissioner suggested the league could get creative and offer some form of compensation.

Acknowledging Miami’s bind, Silver said, “I’m incredibly sympathetic to the Heat and to their fans.”

Terry Rozier’s case takes yet another turn

Rozier appeared in federal court in New York in early December, where he initially entered a not-guilty plea to federal conspiracy, wire fraud, and money laundering charges.

The court released him on a $3 million bond, with strict conditions: no gambling, no firearms, and no contact with victims, co-defendants, or witnesses.

He was also forced to surrender his passport and was limited to traveling only between Florida, Ohio, and New York. At that stage, the case was just beginning to take shape, with Rozier scheduled to return to court in March as proceedings continued.

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Earlier, the NBA had already conducted its own investigation into Rozier’s alleged betting links and found no evidence of league rule violations.

Still, once federal charges were filed, the league placed him on leave. At the time, Rozier was with the Hornets and played just 10 minutes against the Pelicans before leaving with a foot injury.

It was that game that later raised eyebrows after sportsbooks reportedly took in $200,000 in prop bets on his stats.

In a major development, recent reports indicate that federal prosecutors have flagged a potential conflict of interest, raising concerns that Rozier’s payment of legal fees to a friend and co-defendant could further complicate the investigation.