An arbitrator on Monday ruled in favor of Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier in a salary dispute with the NBA that arose after he was federally indicted in a gambling investigation, sources told ESPN.

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, sources familiar with the ruling said.

The Heat and NBA agreed to put Rozier’s salary for the 2025-26 season in escrow after Rozier was arrested and indicted in October as part of a federal gambling investigation that also ensnared Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups.

The NBPA appealed the agreement to withhold his salary, which is approximately $26.6 million.

“We are pleased with the arbitrator’s ruling and remain committed to ensuring Terry’s due process rights are protected and that he is afforded the presumption of innocence throughout this process,” a spokesperson for the National Basketball Players Association said in a statement to ESPN.

ESPN has reached out to the NBA for comment.

Rozier pleaded not guilty to conspiracy charges of wire fraud and money laundering. His attorneys filed a motion to dismiss the case in December, citing government overreach. The government’s response to that motion is due today.

Federal prosecutors allege Rozier told an associate he would remove himself early in a March 2023 game, when he was with the Charlotte Hornets. Rozier’s associate then allegedly sold the information to gamblers, who proceeded to bet more than $200,000 on the under on Rozier’s statistics in the game.

Rozier remains on the Heat’s roster, but has not appeared this season.

Link to article: https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/47808454/sources-heat-terry-rozier-wins-salary-dispute-nba

NZafe | Raptors

342 | 9 hours ago

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, sources familiar with the ruling said.

Surely this will be updated in the next CBA to expand what can result in loss of pay and/or unpaid leave.

PrimeTimeInc | Hornets

125 | 9 hours ago

Yea, that’s pretty hilarious, ngl lol

avboden | Warriors

114 | 8 hours ago

so straight up murder and he’d still get paid? wow

jlquon | 76ers

42 | 8 hours ago

I imagine at this point he might be suspended instead of put on leave

DarthPineapple5 | Celtics

24 | 8 hours ago

I mean, he hasn’t been convicted of anything yet.

DosidosGelatoSmoker | Heat

7 | 7 hours ago

People fail to realize this plus he’s gotta hire a great lawyer & pay court fees a third of that 26 million is already gone

Aromatic_Extension93

5 | 6 hours ago

The PA pays for it…..what are you saying buddy lmao

SydneyFall | Nuggets

38 | 9 hours ago

Surely this will be updated in the next CBA to expand what can result in loss of pay and/or unpaid leave.

You are badly wrong here. The players guard their guaranteed paychecks above all else.

NZafe | Raptors

18 | 9 hours ago

Idk, I think the NBPA may be anti-match-fixing

SydneyFall | Nuggets

38 | 9 hours ago

You think the NBPA might be OK with players not getting paid if they are simply accused of something?

You can’t be serious. You have literal proof right here they are not OK with Rozier’s paycheck being taken away.

PassMeTheBackwood | Knicks

28 | 8 hours ago

I work for a union.

They will defend the hell out of somebody in a hearing knowing 500% that they deserve to lose their job lol.

respaaaaaj | Celtics

10 | 8 hours ago

That’s more or less the point of a union, to provide a counterweight to ownership’s ability to bring in lawyers and sometimes the state to back them even when they’re fully aware they’re in the wrong.

PassMeTheBackwood | Knicks

10 | 8 hours ago

Had no idea how unions worked before I had this job.

I’ll never forget my first experience of “This person did this and we have to defend them?”

And my supervisors just looked at me like “You’ll see much worse. Get used to it.”

4 years later and they were telling the absolute truth.

respaaaaaj | Celtics

17 | 8 hours ago

Yup your job is to make sure everyone gets the protections that the union bargained for, even the ones that really don’t deserve it, because stuff like that isn’t really about protecting the individual, its about protecting the entire union and the right to collective bargaining.

Its kind of like being a defense attorney, where the job isn’t just to protect innocent people who are wrongly charged, but the rights to fair trials for everyone, even the ones who are obviously guilty.

yamiyam | Toronto Huskies

-11 | 8 hours ago

I feel like the union should take a member’s vote before spending money on protecting bad eggs: “hey gang, do we still want this person in the union or nah?”

Easy way to take one of the main ammunition away from those seeking to discredit unions.

respaaaaaj | Celtics

18 | 8 hours ago

And how long until that precedent gets twisted into “yeah I know you guys technically have to defend this guy and maybe he hasn’t committed a fireable offense, but he’s just an asshole so why not let this one slide”?

Rights that aren’t consistently enforced turn into privileges, which are far more easily revoked.

chesterfieldkingz | Spurs

3 | 7 hours ago

Ya the business owners side would manipulate the hell out of that to get ppl to turn on union members

yamiyam | Toronto Huskies

0 | 7 hours ago

To clarify I’m talking about cases where the employee has committed clear and provable wrongdoing, not just vibes based.

I agree with what you’ve said but I think there’s a middle ground where unions don’t automatically go to bat for employees that should actually be fired.

mdlspurs | Spurs

2 | 8 hours ago

The NBPA will bargain this away in return for something else in the next CBA, just as they did with the domestic abuse provision that’s in there now. This isn’t a hill they’re going to die on. There’s too much money to be made.

SydneyFall | Nuggets

1 | 8 hours ago

They protect paychecks. I think you are just delusional that an accusation of telling someone they aren’t likely to play much would get their paycheck taken awway.

mdlspurs | Spurs

1 | 7 hours ago

Prioritizing the 51% of the gambling revenue stream that finds it’s way into the players paychecks over the occasional moron who gets caught gambling on their own sport is protecting paychecks.

mdlspurs | Spurs

15 | 9 hours ago

That’s why it’s going to happen. Their paychecks are brought to them, in part, by FanDuel.

youblewwit

1 | 5 hours ago

I might be talking about out of my ass but I’m sure there’s something in the CBA that says if you are convicted of a federal crime your contract can be voided

SydneyFall | Nuggets

1 | 5 hours ago

CONVICTED.

LiaM_CS | Nets

3 | 8 hours ago

As long as you murder a stranger, the CBA is cool with it

canadianRSK | Raptors

6 | 8 hours ago

You could murder your owner and they would still have to pay you

mdlspurs | Spurs

2 | 9 hours ago

No doubt about it. Threatening the sports betting cash cow will not be tolerated.

respaaaaaj | Celtics

2 | 8 hours ago

What are the owners giving up for the right to suspend players without pay based on an accusation not a conviction?

Because expanding ownerships ability to withhold pay without cause to fire someone before an investigation is complete, or if an investigation clears them but then law enforcement opens one is a massive concession by a union.

Titanstheory | Hornets

1 | 5 hours ago

It’s not without pay, just withheld pay. Slight difference.

Intelligence_Gap | Supersonics

1 | 8 hours ago

Yeahhhhh imagine if Aaron Hernandez was in the NBA instead of the nfl

Patrollerofthemojave | Thunder

0 | 6 hours ago

Crazy that you can still get paid after allegedly killing someone and alleged domestic abuse is where the line is drawn lol.

RyanTannegod | Heat

233 | 9 hours ago

If Rozier gets convicted what’s his sentencing going to be?

Frodounchainedd | Lakers

486 | 9 hours ago

48 mins a night for the jazz

EllieWiz13 | Jazz

96 | 9 hours ago

Okay but who’s on trial?? That’s punishment for us too!

Hollerino | Slovenia

33 | 8 hours ago

Reeeeeeeeeelax. He’ll get you the points.

jcheeseball | Heat

7 | 8 hours ago

Naw he can only be trusted for blowing layups to keep his under.

Aidanj927 | Spurs

5 | 6 hours ago

Think the Jazz are fine with that

TheWarelock | Heat

2 | 7 hours ago

Just gotta bet the under every time 🫠

attorneyatslaw | Knicks

6 | 8 hours ago

Society

Chef_Bojan3 | BKN

4 | 8 hours ago

Silver will hook you up with a top 2 pick guaranteed in return, just stay quiet.

canadianRSK | Raptors

3 | 8 hours ago

You need a tank commander

Beleiverofhumanity | Clippers

1 | 7 hours ago

He’s an excellent tank commander

mdlspurs | Spurs

1 | 7 hours ago

It’s only punishment if you didn’t bet the under.

thethirdgreenman | Spurs

1 | 7 hours ago

For fans it’s punishment, for Danny Ainge it’s a late Christmas gift

m8bear | Argentina

1 | 7 hours ago

only if you want to win

SenorSativa | Cavaliers

3 | 8 hours ago

He’s already appealing to the Supreme Court on a 8th amendment rights violation

SydneyFall | Nuggets

18 | 9 hours ago

Probation. Tennis this has come up quite a bit for match fixing. No prison that I can tell.

RansomGoddard | NBA

13 | 9 hours ago

One of the other individuals in the related probe just got sentenced to two years. Terry’s role in the conspiracy isn’t actually that big, he just told his friend he was leaving the game the early. Can’t imagine it would be that much worse than that.

TheLongestLake

2 | 5 hours ago

i think prosecutors would rather go after the guy throwing the game than the rando making bets on it

Midrange21

5 | 8 hours ago

Somehow something more harsh than what Kawhi and the Steve Balmer will receive.

SydneyFall | Nuggets

127 | 9 hours ago

Good for him. He has been accused, not convicted.

The players were right to fight for him to get paid what he was owed under the terms of his contract.

ThrowRa-zucchinizzc

15 | 8 hours ago

This

tiggs | 76ers

-18 | 7 hours ago

Fuck him. He’s going to be convicted though, because he was a fucking idiot about it and there’s a massive amount of proof. I hope the team claws back every fucking penny back from him after he’s convicted and he’s dead broke within 2 years. People like him are bad for the league.

airmigos | BOS

105 | 9 hours ago

This suggests that Terry Rozier can be traded without any problems, because an arbitrator rules that he should continue to receive NBA player salaries as normal. If he can be paid as a player, he can be traded as a player.

cl353 | Heat

21 | 8 hours ago

He’s still on admin leave or something from the league right? Wouldn’t put it past them to use that as a way to nix a potential trade

elbenji | MIA

13 | 7 hours ago

Nope as it is salary on the books

[deleted]

0 | 7 hours ago

[deleted]

cl353 | Heat

2 | 7 hours ago

if we get giannis i dont fking care lmao

refreshing_yogurt

25 | 9 hours ago

Interesting that the league has the power to suspend players and dock pay for flashing a gun on social media (not an illegal activity) under the broad umbrella of conduct detrimental to the league but would lose the case here.

I consider getting arrested for throwing games (even if he is somehow proven innocent) to be pretty detrimental and as noted, there is a clause to do this even when the cases are not yet resolved but only if it is domestic abuse.

ThrowRa-zucchinizzc

38 | 8 hours ago

He hasn’t been convicted yet. Morant performed the detrimental acts in person or online.

refreshing_yogurt

-1 | 7 hours ago

So in your opinion, should Rozier be allowed to play as well?

The_Sneakiest_Fox | Supersonics

1 | 17 minutes ago

Not while there’s an active investigation, no.

Beans800 | Pistons

20 | 8 hours ago

even if he is somehow proven innocent

huh? even if he was proven innocent you want him suspended and fined?

smalls_1804 | Knicks

2 | 4 hours ago

People aren’t found innocent, they’re found not guilty. There’s also a different standard of evidence for a criminal charge, a civil charge, and the court of public opinion. OJ didn’t go to jail but he did get successfully sued and the whole world thinks he did it

refreshing_yogurt

-9 | 7 hours ago

I think the charge against him is serious enough that it makes sense to suspend him without pay pending the investigation, just like what happens in domestic abuse cases. If he’s found innocent, he can get the money back.

If you agree with the arbitrator ruling, then Rozier should not only get his money, but also be allowed to play.

Beans800 | Pistons

2 | 7 hours ago

that makes more sense lol. I’m chill with him getting paid, it’s a guaranteed contract and you have to be proven guilty to lose it

BigStrongPolarGuy

2 | 6 hours ago

but also be allowed to play.

This depends on what, if anything, the CBA says about the ability of the league to forbid a team from playing a guy who is not suspended. If the CBA does not forbid that, then there is no reason Rozier needs to be allowed to play. If it does forbid that, then yes, he should be allowed to play pending the results of his legal issues, unless the league has enough evidence to suspend him.

My guess is, because the player is still being paid, the CBA probably does not forbid the league from stopping a team from playing a guy. If the NBA wants to pay Terry Rozier to sit at home, I doubt the NBPA particularly cares.

ghn2

0 | 7 hours ago

Ja should have fought the league regarding restricting his second amendment rights. Instead he caved. That’s on Ja.

Sweaty-Bed-715

4 | 7 hours ago

The nba isn’t the government 😂 it’s a private entity

BigStrongPolarGuy

0 | 7 hours ago

Ja was arrested for conduct detrimental to the league. Conduct, as in, the manner in which a person behaves. Ja actively chose to make those videos. That’s his own conduct.

Getting arrested is not your own conduct. The actions leading to that arrest might be. But if the police just choose to falsely charge you with something, that is not your own conduct.

If the NBA has enough evidence that Rozier’s conduct was detrimental to the league, they would be suspending him, not placing him on unpaid leave. If he were convicted, or if the NBA were to compile enough evidence to prove that he bet on games, that’s when they would have grounds to suspend him.

refreshing_yogurt

0 | 6 hours ago

Do you think it’s appropriate that the CBA makes exceptions for allegations of domestic abuse before those allegations are proven? Why do you suppose those clauses exist?

BigStrongPolarGuy

1 | 6 hours ago

Sure, why wouldn’t it be? If both sides are willing to have that exception be made, then there’s nothing inherently inappropriate about making that exception.

refreshing_yogurt

-1 | 6 hours ago

Okay, my general point is about what the rules should be, not necessarily what they are now, and that a similar exception should be made

Also, if you want to be super technical about the distinction between personal conduct and other people’s actions, Ja did not actively choose to make the videos that got him suspended. Someone else recorded him.

BigStrongPolarGuy

1 | 6 hours ago

Yes, and my general point is that the rules should be that you can be suspended and have pay withheld for your own actions, and not for something being done to you. But I think it’s reasonable that if both sides think that the league is better off with an exception for a specific thing, then that exception should probably be in place.

Ja actively participated in the videos. If here were just filmed against his consent just holding a gun, then I would agree that that wouldn’t be his own actions.

refreshing_yogurt

0 | 5 hours ago

How far would you extend this standard? Just as someone can be falsely arrested, someone can also be falsely convicted. A judge or jury’s decision is also something being done to a person, not what the person does.

BigStrongPolarGuy

1 | 4 hours ago

You obviously extend it to where the league has enough evidence to suspend the player for violating its rules. You are correct that a judge or jury’s decision is a thing being done to somebody. When Rozier is suspended, it will not be simply because he was found guilty. He will be suspended because the legal proceedings provided ample evidence to suspend him for violating their rules, as agreed upon in the CBA. Even if he’s found not guilty, if evidence comes out that makes it clear that there were rule violations or that his own personal conduct was detrimental to the league, that would be reason for a suspension.

You’re trying to make this sound like a complex issue, and it really isn’t one. There’s a reason the NBA put him on “unpaid leave” instead of suspending him, as opposed to Jontay Porter, who was immediately banned before his legal situation played out. They didn’t have enough evidence of wrongdoing to suspend Rozier. They can’t just choose not to pay him in that instance. If and when they do, that’s when there will be grounds for suspension.

refreshing_yogurt

1 | 3 hours ago

I don’t think the issue is particularly complex. I just find it dissonant that the league has a catch all clause that allows the commissioner discretion to suspend a player despite no specific rules or laws being violated, can suspend or ban before legal proceedings play out in other cases, but does not have the power to do so in this case. Billups, in contrast, was suspended for being arrested.

I understand that players and coaches probably have different negotiated rights. I’m saying that the rules as currently negotiated and written fail to justly address this new particular situation and lead to inconsistencies that don’t strike me as fair.

BigStrongPolarGuy

1 | 3 hours ago

You find it dissonant because you’re tying it to legal proceedings instead of rule violations. Legal proceedings are not the thing determining punishment. They’re a tool for evidence of rule violations, which is the thing being used. Ja Morant did break rules. The CBA governs what is and is not appropriate player conduct, and Ja violated that. Terry Rozier, at this point, does not have enough evidence of rule violations to be suspended.

NBA coach salaries are not dictated by a salary cap. My understanding is that if for some reason the Blazers decided they just wanted to pay Billups, they could. And Billups was not suspended for being arrested. He was, like Rozier, “placed on immediate leave” from his team. Whether he continues to be paid is, again to my understanding, a matter between him and the team. Which is why unlike in Rozier’s case, Billups’ salary is NOT being placed in escrow pending an outcome (Shams’ initial Tweet on this was incorrect and he later reported that Billups’ salary will not be placed in escrow).

elbenji | MIA

9 | 9 hours ago

Well that’s awfully convenient

majinvegeta2x | Heat

3 | 7 hours ago

This comes out just as the Heat are trying to trade him in part of the Giannis deal. <image>

ghn2

2 | 7 hours ago

The NBA tried to rip off Scary Terry and instead, Adam Silver got stuffed by the arbitrator. Gotta give the man his bag!

And the justice department’s case against him is very weak. There’s no federal law that says he can’t tell someone he’s injured and that he’s not going to play. He’s not responsible for what someone does with that information.

DataDude00

2 | 7 hours ago

Terry Rozier bet on himself and the PA and WON!

blacksoxing | Thunder

0 | 9 hours ago

players cannot be put on unpaid leave other than in cases of domestic abuse or child abuse, sources familiar with the ruling said.

I’m sorry, but there GOTTA be other reasons. GOTTA. This could be a case where someone meant to say “cases LIKE….” and not “other than”, which means a much different thing.

refreshing_yogurt

13 | 9 hours ago

I took this to mean that the league can suspend players and take action for allegations of domestic or child abuse, but for other crimes, the player would have to be found guilty first.

SydneyFall | Nuggets

2 | 9 hours ago

You really might want to try and say that again because you are talking gibberish.

KingInTheFarNorth | Vancouver Grizzlies

1 | 4 hours ago

Crazy that actual Murder wouldn’t count based on this report.

It must be wrong.

jcheeseball | Heat

1 | 8 hours ago

Law is Law even if adam silver wants to ignore the situation, he needs to be paid.

youblewwit

1 | 5 hours ago

So he gets like $10mil dropped into his bank account?

[deleted]

-1 | 9 hours ago

[deleted]

RansomGoddard | NBA

25 | 9 hours ago

He won’t get reimbursed at all because he’s not under contract with anyone.

kanyesboner | Cavaliers

16 | 9 hours ago

He doesn’t. Arbitrator didn’t claim Rozier is innocent, they ruled that withholding his pay violated the CBA

mdlspurs | Spurs

5 | 9 hours ago

He doesn’t. The lesson to players here is to not get caught gambling during a contract year.

the313andme | Pistons

1 | 7 hours ago

Isn’t that teams choosing not to take on the risk of signing him and having dead cap and roster space, and not the league forcing him out of play?

jasonrayschrock

-7 | 9 hours ago

Imagine being able to do just about anything you want, including felonies, and still get paid… however, Paul George takes steroids (or whatever it was) and isn’t gonna get paid. 🤔

RansomGoddard | NBA

12 | 8 hours ago

Well the key part here is that Terry hasn’t been convicted yet. Paul George was found to have and admitted to taking a banned substance.

[deleted]

1 | 8 hours ago

[deleted]

0 | 8 hours ago

[deleted]

pthumbz

2 | 8 hours ago

small correction here but it wasn’t steroids it was recreational drugs

[Purdum] Heat’s Terry Rozier wins salary dispute with NBA