Rozier asks judge to modify release terms as NBA free agency looms

Terry Rozier has asked the judge in his federal gambling case to modify conditions of his release that his attorney says have been used against him in an arbitration dispute over his salary and prevent him from pursuing free agency in the NBA. In a court filing Wednesday, Jim Trusty, Rozier's attorney, requested that a restriction preventing Rozier from contacting the Charlotte Hornets, his former team, be removed from his release conditions.

The request comes as Rozier has been in arbitration with the NBA and the Miami Heat over his base salary for the 2025-26 season.

According to the filing, the arbitrator in the dispute initially ruled that Rozier should receive his salary, but months later determined that the conditions of his release -- specifically, no contact with the Hornets -- render him in breach of his contractual obligation to play.

"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," Trusty of Ifrah Law wrote. Federal prosecutors agreed to remove a similar restriction on contact with the Heat, but oppose the removal of the Hornets' restriction, according to the filing.

The U.S. Attorney's Office in the Eastern District of New York declined comment. Rozier has pleaded not guilty to charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering. He will be arraigned on June 10 on additional charges filed last week, including sports bribery and honest services fraud.

Rozier was put on leave by the NBA after being arrested in October and indicted for his alleged role in a gambling scheme centered on his performance during a March 2023 game while he was a member of the Hornets. The Hornets traded him to the Heat in January 2024, where he was on the roster for two seasons before being waived April 10.