Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier has been the center of a gambling scandal for 11 months. (Mandatory Credit: Megan Briggs / Getty Images)
Nearly three months removed from Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier getting arrested by the FBI amid a months-long gambling investigation, there appears to be — still — no end on the horizon to the situation.
This will ultimately take time for the NBA to settle, but several damning details — such as Charlotte and the NBA allegedly knowing about a possible scandal before he was traded in Jan. of 2024 — have since been uncovered. Miami still doesn’t know whether or not it can trade Rozier, nor will there be any uproar from the organization publicly.
Nevertheless, Rozier’s unresolved situation does add multiple wrinkles to its trade flexibility ahead of February’s deadline. It’s difficult to ignore the implications — and how shady this appears to be, on the surface, by the NBA. Even one of the Heat’s biggest self-proclaimed haters, former ESPN analyst and founder of The Ringer, Bill Simmons, agrees.
“My guess is the (Charlotte Hornets) knew. These teams always know,” Simmons said on a recent episode of The Bill Simmons Podcast regarding Terry Rozier’s allegations. “So they trade him to Miami — odds are they knew that he was being investigated for a gambling scandal. That’s pretty f–ked up. … Teams will do this from time to time, but that’s pretty f–ked up.
“It doesn’t seem like Miami can get the pick back. But it seems like they should. And I don’t want to defend the Heat because I hate the Heat. But I think it’s unfair — it’s their 2027 first-round pick. And it’s crazy that they’re not going to have that pick because they traded for Rozier, who’s under a gambling investigation, and the other team didn’t tell them. They should get pick back.”
Bill Simmons says the NBA is f*cking the Miami Heat with Terry Rozier situation
“I hate defending the Heat. It’s their ‘27 1st round pick. It’s crazy they traded for Rozier who’s under investigation but they don’t tell them. They should get pick back. They don’t know if they can… pic.twitter.com/V44XOHCuXh
— Heat Central (@HeatCulture13) December 10, 2025
While it remains unclear whether there will be any sort of resolution ahead of the deadline, getting their 2027 lottery-protected first-round back from the Hornets would unlock the Heat’s 2026 and 2028 first-round picks to use in a trade. Currently, Miami can only trade its 2030 and 2032 first-round picks.
Miami is currently hard-capped below the $195.9 million first apron, a threshold it’s currently $7.2 million under. Rozier’s $26.6 million may be untradable because the league may prohibit any trade involving the 10-year vet. It may also be untradable because, well, Rozier’s prototype isn’t valuable and he’s coming off one of the worst seasons of his career. As we’ve belabored, it may be best for the Heat to let his contract expire.
This is a messy situation the NBA is embroiled in — not only from a PR perspective, but from an ethical perspective. But alas, the Heat have their hands tied behind their backs with one ankle hand-cuffed to a telephone poll, at this point.
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