MIAMI (AP) — Miami is receiving a second-round pick in this year’s draft from Charlotte, which essentially becomes additional compensation to settle a dispute surrounding the trade that sent Terry Rozier from the Hornets to the Heat two years ago.
The pick will be the more favorable of either Golden State’s or Denver’s second-round selections. The agreement, revealed Monday to general managers across the league, was struck by the teams amid discussions regarding the circumstances surrounding Rozier’s trade and his ongoing issues related to a federal gambling investigation.
Rozier is in the final year of his Heat contract. He has been away from the team since the day following its season-opening game in Orlando in October, after he was arrested by federal officials and charged with assisting bettors by releasing information that wasn’t available to the general public about his playing status.
In December, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver called the circumstances surrounding Rozier — who is taking up $26.6 million of Heat cap space this season — “an unprecedented situation” and said the league was “going to try to work something through, work this out with them.”
The goal, Silver said, was “satisfactory relief.” And the teams eventually settled on the second-rounder. Neither club had immediate comment.
The Heat acquired Rozier from the Hornets on Jan. 23, 2024, for Kyle Lowry and a 2027 first-round draft pick that will still have to be conveyed by Miami. The NBA was aware of unusual prop bet activity surrounding Rozier’s performance in a March 2023 game he played with Charlotte against the New Orleans Pelicans; it was flagged by sportsbooks that afternoon, but a league probe — not the federal investigation — found no reason at that time to keep him from playing.
Rozier was in the starting lineup for Charlotte for that March 23, 2023, game and played reasonably well in his 9 1/2 minutes of action, with five points, four rebounds, two assists and a steal. That remains one of only two times in his career that he had that many points, rebounds and assists in a first quarter.
Rozier cited foot pain as his reason for not returning to that game. Those who bet against his “props” for that won those wagers.
The Hornets have not said if they were aware of any federal probes into Rozier’s conduct at that time.
Details of the federal investigation were not disclosed to the Heat when the trade was made. It seems unlikely that Miami would have gone forward with the trade had it known there was a potential of charges being filed.
Rozier has averaged 13.9 points per game in his career, which includes stops with Charlotte and Boston before coming to Miami. He appeared in 95 games with the Heat.
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