An arbitrator on Monday “ruled in favor” of Heat G Terry Rozier “in a salary dispute with the NBA that arose after he was federally indicted in a gambling investigation,” according to sources cited by David Purdum of ESPN.com. Sources said that Rozier’s salary, “which had been held in escrow since December, will be released after the arbitrator found that under the terms of the collective bargaining agreement, players cannot be put on unpaid leave other than in cases of domestic abuse or child abuse.” Purdum notes the Heat and NBA “agreed to put Rozier’s salary for the 2025-26 season in escrow” after Rozier’s arrest. The NBPA “appealed the agreement to withhold his salary,” which is approximately $26.6M. Rozier “remains on the Heat’s roster but has not appeared this season” (ESPN.com, 2/2).
BIG DEAL COMING? In Miami, Anthony Chiang reports the Heat “continues to operate under the belief that it will be allowed to trade his expiring contract ahead of Thursday’s NBA trade deadline despite his ongoing legal issues.” Rozier’s “large expiring salary could be useful in a potential trade” for Bucks two-time NBA MVP and nine-time All-NBA F Giannis Antetokounmpo. A source said that the Heat are “aggressively pursuing Antetokounmpo ahead of the NBA trade deadline” (MIAMI HERALD, 2/2).