NBA guard Terry Rozier and Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups have been placed on leave following their arrests for federal gambling-related charges, according to sources familiar with the situation. Both individuals will not receive their salaries during this leave period as their legal cases unfold. Rozier was scheduled to receive the first installment of his $26.6 million annual salary with the Miami Heat later this week, but payments will be withheld pending the resolution of his case.
If Rozier is ultimately cleared of the charges and allowed to return to the NBA—he was placed on leave shortly after his arrest on October 23, 2023—he may receive his withheld payments fully. However, the NBA's decision to bar him and Billups from receiving their salaries does not provide any immediate salary cap relief for the Heat or the Trail Blazers.
The NBA's collective bargaining agreement has provisions that allow the league to place withheld salary into an interest-bearing account under specific circumstances. Billups, who has been placed on leave due to a separate arrest, is under contract with the Trail Blazers until at least the 2026-27 season after a multiyear extension agreed upon in April.
In response to the situation, the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) has indicated it plans to file a grievance on Rozier's behalf. An NBPA spokesperson expressed concern, stating that they agree with the importance of maintaining the game's integrity, but argued that the decision to place Rozier on leave without pay contradicts the presumption of innocence and is inconsistent with the collective bargaining agreement.
Meanwhile, Rozier's attorney, Jim Trusty, highlighted that a federal lien related to Rozier's 2021 tax bill of $8,218,211.70 was satisfied. Trusty clarified that while the IRS filed the lien in November 2023, Rozier actually owed only a small fraction of that total—$9,000—and noted that the lien, though satisfied, remains on record at the local courthouse.
Despite the legal complexities, it has been reported that Rozier does not engage in gambling and looks forward to resolving the charges against him. Federal officials allege that he was involved in a conspiracy to manipulate game bets based on his statistical performance during a game on March 23, 2023, when he was playing for the Charlotte Hornets. In that game, Rozier’s limited participation led to unusual patterns in prop bets, which were flagged and brought to the NBA's attention.
The NBA conducted a preliminary investigation into Rozier’s involvement but found insufficient evidence to conclude he violated any league rules, as the league lacks the subpoena power that federal authorities possess. Amidst this brewing controversy, the NBA announced it is reviewing how sensitive information, such as injury reports, should be handled moving forward, with members of Congress seeking further clarification on how the NBA investigated these allegations.
In a broader context, the situation involving Rozier and Billups has captured the attention of lawmakers, including Sen. Ted Cruz and Sen. Maria Cantwell, who have requested detailed responses from NBA Commissioner Adam Silver regarding the handling of the gambling-related accusations and the union's calls for salary implications.
