03/09/26 12:03:00
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03/09 12:01 CDT Heat will receive a second-round pick from the Hornets related
to the Terry Rozier trade
Heat will receive a second-round pick from the Hornets related to the Terry
Rozier trade
By TIM REYNOLDS
AP Basketball Writer
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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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA
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