Terry Rozier fights ruling to forfeit most of $26.6M salary due to alleged role in gambling scheme

The NBA has been granted the authority to withhold most of Terry Rozier's $26.6 million salary due to his alleged role in an illegal betting plot, yet Rozier is fighting back.

A motion filed Wednesday by Rozier's attorney revealed the details of the previous arbitration ruling, as well as Rozier's intention to change the conditions outlined for his release in his criminal case.

Those conditions rendered him "in breach of his contractual obligation to play." Different language could allow Rozier to fight that ruling in arbitration again and enter free agency this summer to secure a new contract, though it remains unclear whether any team would have interest in signing him.

In October, Rozier was indicted for allegedly participating in an illegal gambling scheme. The result of that indictment was a conditional release on $6 million bond, but the terms of release barred Rozier from interacting with current or former employees of either the Charlotte Hornets or Miami Heat.

Rozier played for Charlotte at the time of the alleged crimes -- conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering -- and then played for the Heat for a season and a half following.

Rozier, 32, missed all of the 2025-26 season due to his arrest. The Heat waived him in April.

An arbitrator initially ruled in February that Rozier was due his salary, but that decision was overturned in a subsequent ruling May 20 when the arbitrator came down on the NBA's side.

Federal prosecutors added two new counts against Rozier in late May. At the same time, though, the government allowed Rozier to resume contact with Miami but not Charlotte. Jim Trusty, Rozier's lawyer, argues that to be insufficient.

"With forced inactivity, Mr. Rozier is facing a potential second season of non-participation despite being entitled to a presumption of innocence," Trusty stated in his motion. "Under the current ruling of the arbitrator, an inability to play for or against the Charlotte Hornets would constitute a ‘failure to perform services' by Mr. Rozier and substantially diminish or eliminate any chance of being contracted by an NBA team."

Rozier is accused of alerting gamblers that he would leave a game early while playing for the Charlotte Hornets in March 2023. The gamblers then bet large sums on the "under" figures for Rozier's stats in that contest.

Rozier averaged 10.6 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.6 assists in 64 games (23 starts) for the Heat in 2024-25. His career averages through 10 NBA seasons for the Boston Celtics, Charlotte and Miami are 13.9 points, 3.9 rebounds and 3.5 assists.

--Field Level Media