Veteran guard Terry Rozier (C) appeared in 95 games for the Miami Heat after being traded from the Charlotte Hornets. File Photo by Olga Federova/EPA
April 10 (UPI) — The Miami Heat are expected to waive veteran guard Terry Rozier on Friday, a league source told UPI.
The Heat are expected to make the move before 5 p.m. EDT. Rozier, who was arrested in October through a federal investigation into illegal sports gambling, was previously placed on unpaid leave by the NBA.
Rozier pleaded not guilty to charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering in December. His next court date is April 27 at the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York in Brooklyn.
The 10-year NBA veteran joined the Miami Heat in a 2024 trade from the Charlotte Hornets in exchange for guard Kyle Lowry and a 2027 first-round pick. The Heat also received a trade exception for the 2027 first-round pick in that deal.
Rozier, who signed a four-year, $96.2 million contract extension with the Hornets in 2021, appeared in 95 games for the Heat. He averaged 12.5 points, 3.9 rebounds and 3.3 assists. Rozier, 32, averaged a career-high 21.1 points, 5.1 assists and 4.1 rebounds per game over 63 starts in 2022-23 for the Hornets.
The No. 16 overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, who spent his first four seasons with the Boston Celtics, was traded to the Hornets in 2019. The Hornets traded Kemba Walker and a 2020 second-round pick to the Celtics in exchange for Rozier and a 2020 second-round pick in that swap.
The Hornets agreed to send the Heat a second-round pick in the 2026 NBA Draft to resolve a dispute regarding what knowledge they had of the Rozier investigation before their trade. The NBA and Heat made an agreement to place Rozier’s 2025-26 salary — $26.6 million — in escrow after his arrest.
The Heat (41-39) lost three of their last four games and sit in 10th place in the NBA’s Eastern Conference standings. They locked themselves into the league’s play-in tournament earlier this week.
The Heat will take on the Washington Wizards (17-63) at 7 p.m. EDT Friday in Washington, D.C. They will host the Atlanta Hawks (45-35) in their last regular-season game at 6 p.m. Sunday in Miami.
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