Heat had no idea about the FBI investigation into sports betting before Terry Rozier acted

There was a time when trading Terry Rozier made sense.

Now the deal appears to be one of the worst of this era after Rozier was arrested as part of an FBI sports betting investigation involving four mafia families.

The January 2024 deal involved Kyle Lowry and his expiring $29.6 million to Charlotte for Rozier, who was in the second year of a four-year contract. Rozier made $23.2 million the season he was dealt and is currently on a $26.6 million expiring contract.

Additionally, this was a cap-saving move for Rozier – who was having a career year at the time – and the deal saw Miami send a 2027 first-round draft pick to the Hornets, who later bought out the struggling and declining Lowry, paving the way for him to sign with the Philadelphia 76ers.

But in the middle of everything The Heat reportedly remained in the dark about the basketball and financial reasons for the deal Rozier’s ongoing gambling scandal.

According to the Miami Heraldno team – including the Heat – was informed by the NBA of any red flags in the months that followed.

The Heat were also unaware of any red flags before the trade was ultimately approved.

Rozier was indicted for allegedly conspiring to help others win prop bets involving his performance during a match.

The play in question involving suspicious gambling activity surrounding Rozier props stems from a March 23, 2023 game against the Pelicans in which the guard, then a Hornet, left early due to an injury. An abnormal amount of betting action was detected on Rozier unders. Rozier has denied the allegations through his lawyer.

Rozier then sat out the remaining eight Hornets games of the season, in which the team won 4-4.

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Charlotte, who was 24-51 at the end of the Pelicans game, finished with the NBA’s fourth-worst record and finished second in the famed Victor Wembanyama draft in which they selected highly touted Alabama wing Brandon Miller.

Rozier was arrested on October 23 and released after posting $6 million bail.

The Heat were a 24-19 team in January 2024, seven months removed from an unlikely trip to the NBA Finals despite being the eighth seed.

At the time of the deal, Rozier had averaged a career-high 23.6 points in 30 games with the Hornets that season, also dishing out 6.6 assists per game, while posting 46/36/85 shooting splits.

With the Heat, Rozier averaged 16.4 points and 4.6 assists in 31 games, dropping to 42.3 percent from the field and 37 percent on threes in a starting role, albeit on a more talented roster than what he had in Charlotte.

Last season he was statistically one of the worst players in the NBA.

In 2024-25, Rozier played in 64 games and averaged just 10.6 points and 2.6 assists in 25.9 minutes per game while shooting a dismal 39.1 percent from the field and 29.5 percent on threes.

Rozier did not play in either of the first two Heat games this season.