After Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier was arrested by the FBI as part of a gambling probe, there has been a string of discussions regarding the aftermath and how it relates to the team. With rumors that the Heat were unaware of any gambling investigation with Rozier before trading for him from the Charlotte Hornets, there have been some discussions about whether the team should be compensated.
In the latest from The Miami Herald, ESPN insider and former Brooklyn Nets executive Bobby Marks discussed the situation and provided insightful points. He would answer the question of whether Charlotte should have let Miami know that Rozier was under an active investigation, then by the NBA, which eventually found no wrongdoing.
Marks would say, “It's a gray area,” saying there isn't a specific rule saying that teams need to disclose that type of information, unless it was dealing with his medical information. Still, Marks would say that “if I was the Heat, I would have wanted to know.”
“As part of NBA trade calls, teams are required to disclose medical information that would prevent a player from playing basketball,” Marks said. “There’s nowhere in the NBA operations manual, at least I haven’t found it, where it says that the NBA is obligated to disclose information that a player has been investigated or is currently being investigated.”
Why it's a “gray area” regarding the situation with Heat's Terry Rozier
While the Heat deal with Rozier's arrest, there is speculation as to the situation dealing with the NBA and Hornets not letting the team know about the investigation. Miami would give up a first-round pick and Kyle Lowry for Rozier before the 2023 trade deadline, with Marks and others in the league having the belief that Charlotte knew the guard was in an active investigation.
“I’m sure [the Hornets] knew that somebody on the roster was being actively investigated in a gambling thing,” Marks said. “But it’s a gray area that I think the league is going to have to look long and hard at. When players are being investigated and are part of trade discussions, do they have the authority and morality to disclose that information? Because on the other end, legal will say, ‘Well, wait a minute. If we disclose it and the guy is not guilty, then we’ve just harmed the trade.’”
At any rate, it remains to be seen what happens and if there is any chance that the Heat would be compensated for being blindsided by the league and the Hornets for the Rozier trade, not knowing about the investigation. Still, Miami is focused on continuing to improve on the court after an early statement win over the New York Knicks and looks to keep it going on Tuesday night, where they take on Charlotte, funny enough.
