Terry Rozier To Forfeit Most Of 2025/26 Salary

Rozier was placed on unpaid leave by the NBA at the end of October, six days after he was arrested on federal charges related to a gambling investigation. The 31-year-old pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering in December.

The players’ union challenged the league’s decision to withhold Rozier’s salary and won an arbitration case earlier in the year. At that time, an arbitrator ruled that the NBA was violating the rules of its Collective Bargaining Agreement by not allowing Rozier to be paid, determining that only players who are involved in cases of domestic or child abuse can be placed on unpaid leave.

However, that same arbitrator sided with the NBA this time around, as Vorkunov explains, upholding the league’s argument that the conditions of Rozier’s bond prevented him from fulfilling the terms of his contract. As part of his ongoing legal case, Rozier was prohibited from traveling across the country or being in contact with the Heat or his former team, the Hornets.

Rozier – who was charged last week with two new felonies, sports bribery and honest services fraud – has been accused of telling a friend he would remove himself early from a game in March 2023, when he was a member of the Hornets. That friend then sold the inside information to gamblers who were able to cash in by betting on several “under” props related to Rozier’s performance in that game. After recording five points, four rebounds and two assists in less than 10 minutes of action in the first quarter, Rozier exited the game during a timeout and didn’t return, citing a foot issue.

Rozier has pleaded not guilty to all charges and still hopes to return to the NBA after being waived by the Heat in April. According to Vorknov, his attorneys have asked the judge overseeing his case to remove the Hornets – and their current and former employees – from his no-contact list and to rule that the longtime guard is simply prohibited to discuss the case with them. Rozier’s attorneys are calling the current restrictions “unfairly punitive,” Vorkunov adds.

“With forced inactivity, Mr. Rozier is facing a potential second season of non-participation despite being entitled to a presumption of innocence,” his attorneys wrote in their argument. “With the NBA’s free agency process officially beginning June 30, maintaining the Hornets on the no-contact list would likely prevent him from having any opportunity to play in the NBA.

“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.”

Regardless of whether or not the judge upholds his attorneys’ request, it’s pretty difficult to imagine Rozier signing another NBA contract unless he’s fully cleared and exonerated of all charges. If he’s found guilty, he’s likely facing a lifetime ban from the league like the one Jontay Porter received after disclosing confidential information to sports bettors.