Miami was unaware of Terry Rozier’s alleged gambling activities

With Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier has been arrested by the FBI as part of a gambling investigation, there’s no question about how it affects not only his status in the NBA, but the team as well. While it is The Heat respond well on the court with a 146-119 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday, there is a possibility that the front office could feel cheated by the original trade for Rozier.

He wasn’t cheated because of the player himself in Rozier, but because Miami was unaware of the investigation surrounding Rozier when he was with the Charlotte Hornets. According to The Miami Herald, the league “did not notify” team about the alleged gambling activities associated with Rozier, especially not before the Heat traded Kyle Lowry and a first-round pick for him in January 2024.

The Hornets also did not notify Miami, as reported by Barry Jackson and Anthony Chang.

“But per its own protocol, the NBA did not notify the Heat (or other teams) of that red flag in the months that followed, nor did it notify the Heat before the league approved the January 2024 trade that sent Rozier to the Heat for Kyle Lowry and a first-round pick, multiple sources told The Miami Herald this week.

“The Hornets also did not notify the Heat, sources said, although the Hornets declined to say whether they were even aware of the matter at the time of the trade,” the article continued.

The Heat were unaware of the investigation of Terry Rozier by the NBA and the Hornets

As it is the sports world continues to react to the Heat guard in Rozier and other arrests by the FBI, there is speculation that the team should be compensated for failing to pass on information about the league’s investigation. Although the NBA found no clear signs of wrongdoing at the time, it could have been enough information for Miami not to trade for Rozier at the time.

While it has been reported that the NBA and Charlotte have not notified the Heat of the Rozier investigation, the Miami Herald will get word from the Hornets’ chief communications officer.

“Mike Cristaldi, the Hornets’ head of communications, said the team would not say whether the Hornets knew about the NBA investigation at the time of the trade, whether they had knowledge of the bookies flagging Rozier and why they did not notify the Heat if they did,” the Miami Herald wrote.

“The Heat were unaware of the investigation at the time of the trade and as of Friday there was no word on whether the investigation was complete when the trade was made,” the article continued.

Either way, it remains to be seen what will happen with Rozier and whether the Heat will take any action against the league, with Jackson and Chiang reporting that it’s still “undetermined” whether the team will look to get back the first-round pick they previously traded.