Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier is under contract for just one more season. There have been talks about a potential buyout between the two sides, but these discussions “have not gained traction.”
The Heat and Rozier seem stuck in limbo. Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel reported Monday that buyout talks haven’t progressed, with Rozier having limited options elsewhere while he remains tied to a federal gambling investigation.
Miami could still waive Rozier before January 10 to create some financial breathing room.
But there’s a catch. If Rozier gets injured and can’t play for the season before being released, the Heat would be on the hook for his entire $26.6 million salary.
Had the Heat gone the waive-and-stretch route with Rozier’s contract, they could have spread out his cap hit over three years at $8.9 million per season instead of taking the full $26.6 million hit this year.
Gambling Investigation Clouds Rozier’s Future
This uncertainty comes while Rozier remains under federal investigation for gambling activities.
Documents obtained by ESPN’s David Purdum revealed a professional bettor placed 30 wagers in just 46 minutes, all involving Rozier during a 2023 NBA game.
The NBA addressed the situation back in January with a statement confirming they’d looked into unusual betting patterns.
“In March 2023, the NBA was alerted to unusual betting activity related to Terry Rozier’s performance in a game between Charlotte and New Orleans,” NBA spokesperson Mike Bass said.
The league investigated but didn’t find any rule violations. They’re now cooperating with a federal investigation by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York.
Beasley Cleared in Similar Probe
In a related development, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported in June that the U.S. District Attorney’s office had opened an investigation into Malik Beasley regarding “allegations of gambling related to NBA games and prop bets.”
Beasley, who played for the Detroit Pistons last season, saw his contract negotiations put on “pause” when the investigation began.
There’s good news for Beasley, though. His attorneys told Charania in August that he’s no longer a target of the investigation.
Rozier’s on-court production last season was underwhelming. In 64 games (including 23 starts), he averaged just 10.6 points per game while shooting a disappointing 39.1% from the field and an even worse 29.5% from beyond the arc.
He also contributed 3.7 rebounds and 2.6 assists in his 25.9 minutes per game.
