NBA Investigators Reportedly Never Cleared Rozier, Still Looking At Beasley
Despite his lawyer’s assertion that the NBA “cleared him two years ago,” Terry Rozier was never technically cleared of wrongdoing after the league looked into suspicious betting activity involving the guard in 2023, a source in the league office tells investigative reporter and podcaster Pablo Torre (Twitter video link).
“Terry’s investigation was never closed, so he was not cleared of anything,” that source said. “Us not being able to find something is not the same as cleared. It is true we did not find a violation of our rules, but we did not close our investigation.”
As Torre outlines, the NBA hired the law firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz to investigate Rozier following a flurry of activity on his “under” prop bets prior to a March 23, 2023 game when he was a member of the Hornets.
According to Torre, Rozier was interviewed via Zoom and turned over his phone to investigators, who looked for specific search terms. After not finding a “smoking gun,” those investigators ultimately deferred to the feds, while the guard was permitted to continue playing, first for the Hornets and later for the Heat.
Rozier is now facing charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering after being accused of telling his friend – and co-defendant – De’Niro Laster that he would remove himself early from that March 2023 game.
According to a federal indictment, Laster was paid $100K for sharing that information with another defendant, Marves Fairley. The tip was then allegedly shared with others, resulting in the group wagering $259K on those “under” prop bets, which hit after Rozier left the game in the first quarter with a foot injury. Prosecutors allege that winnings were later delivered to and counted at Rozier’s home.
Veteran NBA sharpshooter Malik Beasley has also been investigated by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York and the NBA for possible illegal betting activity, and Torre hears from sources that both of those investigations are still ongoing.
According to Torre, the NBA previously looked at Beasley for bets he made on other sports. While he was cleared in that case, the league hasn’t yet closed its latest probe, despite so far finding “no hard evidence of Beasley altering his performance or communicating with gamblers to tip his performances,” per a league office source.
Beasley remains unsigned, with news of the investigation having broken just before he officially became a free agent this summer.
Wizards Pick Up 2026/27 Options On Six Players
9:59 am: The Wizards have officially exercised those six options, the team confirmed in a press release.
7:54 am: The Wizards will exercise their team options for the 2026/27 season on the rookie scale contracts of six players, according to Josh Robbins of The Athletic (Twitter link). Those players are as follows:
- Alex Sarr (third year, $12,370,680)
- Bilal Coulibaly (fourth year, $9,240,012)
- Cam Whitmore (fourth year, $5,458,310)
- Bub Carrington (third year, $4,900,560)
- AJ Johnson (third year, $3,237,120)
- Kyshawn George (third year, $3,108,000)
Coulibaly and Whitmore were selected seventh and 20th overall, respectively, in the 2023 draft, while Sarr (No. 2), Carrington (No. 14), Johnson (No. 23), and George (No. 24) were drafted in 2024. In total, they’ll earn roughly $38.3MM during the 2026/27 season.
While Johnson, who was acquired from Milwaukee in last season’s Khris Middleton/Kyle Kuzma trade, has only seen garbage-time action so far this season and Coulibaly has yet to make his season debut following offseason thumb surgery, the other four players in this group are either starting or have regular roles off the bench for Washington through four games this season.
George and Sarr, in particular, are off to strong starts. George, the team’s leading scorer, has averaged 20.3 points, 9.3 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 1.5 blocks, and 1.3 steals per game and made 53.8% of his three-point shots; Sarr has put up 19.5 PPG, 8.8 RPG, 4.5 APG, and 2.0 BPG.
Coulibaly and Whitmore will now become eligible to sign rookie scale extensions as of July 2026 and would reach restricted free agency in 2027 if they don’t sign new contracts next year. The Wizards will have to decide next fall on fourth-year (2027/28) options for Sarr, Carrington, Johnson, and George, assuming they’re all still on the roster by that point.
Rookie scale team option decisions for 2026/27 are due on Friday. We’re tracking all of them right here.
Atlantic Notes: Poeltl, Raptors, Celtics, Minott, Sixers
Raptors center Jakob Poeltl was inactive on Wednesday vs. Houston and is considered day-to-day with back tightness, tweets Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca. While Wednesday’s contest was the first one Poeltl has missed this season, the injury has impacted his performance in the early going — he averaged just 6.5 points per night in his first four outings, and the Raptors were outscored during his time on the court in each of those games.
“It’s definitely affected him quite a bit,” head coach Darko Rajakovic said (Twitter link via Lewenberg). “He was not himself in those games. He was not moving the way we know that he can move and, definitely, his performance was not where we know Jak can be.”
Rajakovic hopes that Poeltl will benefit from a little rest and won’t have to manage the issue long-term. However, even when their starting center is available, the Raptors are short on size, according to Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca, who notes that the issue was exacerbated against a big Rockets team with 6’8″ rookie Collin Murray-Boyles starting at center.
Toronto was out-rebounded on Wednesday by an astounding 53-22 margin in the 18-point loss, with Houston grabbing nearly as many offensive rebounds (17) as the Raptors did on the defensive end (18).
“I thought our guys were fighting, they were trying as much as they could,” Rajakovic said. “They just manhandled us inside the paint, and we did not have an answer for the rebounding.”
We have more from around the Atlantic:
- The Celtics, who opened the year with their longest regular season losing streak since March 2023 (three games), are preaching patience as their newcomers get comfortable and new roles are established, writes Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe (subscription required). “We’ve got some guys who the information is comprehending, they’re learning,” Jaylen Brown said earlier this week. “They’re becoming better basketball players. I’m here to help our guys learn in that process as I’m trying to lead as well. It’s gonna take some time. We lost four All-Stars last season, we lost some big-time players. To replace those guys don’t happen overnight and it doesn’t happen in a week either.”
- After getting their first win of the season on Monday, the Celtics made it two in a row with a decisive 20-point victory over Cleveland on Wednesday. Offseason free agent addition Josh Minott started both games and made a significant impact, averaging a double-double (13.0 PPG, 11.5 RPG) while registering an outrageous net rating of +44.4 in 61 total minutes. Minott, who didn’t play much during three years in Minnesota, called it a “blessing” to be in Boston, per Jay King of The Athletic. “They’re not really asking for much,” Minott said of the Celtics’ coaches. “Just do my best to defend the other team’s best player, rebound, defend and space the floor on offense. And truthfully, after that, they see everything as a plus. I’m just trying to hone in on what they expect out of me and just help my team to continue to look the best they can.”
- In his latest mailbag for The Philadelphia Inquirer, Keith Pompey discusses a handful of Sixers-related topics, including Joel Embiid‘s minutes restriction and what the rotation might look like when Paul George and Jared McCain are healthy. In Pompey’s view, if the roster were fully healthy, the 76ers would start either Dominick Barlow or Kelly Oubre Jr. alongside George, Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, and VJ Edgecombe, with McCain, Quentin Grimes, Trendon Watford, and either Adem Bona or Andre Drummond among the first players off the bench.
Nuggets Notes: Murray, Johnson, M. Brown, Holmes
Historically a slow starter who has posted his worst scoring and shooting numbers in October, November, and December, Jamal Murray was optimistic during the preseason about reversing that trend. So far, so good for the Nuggets guard, who has averaged 30.3 points, 6.0 assists, and 5.0 rebounds in his first three games, with a scorching-hot .530/.429/.923 shooting line.
As Bennett Durando of The Denver Post (subscription required) writes, the sample size is still far too small to jump to any conclusions, but if Murray’s hot start continues, he could have a shot to earn the first All-Star nod of his career. Predictably, head coach David Adelman is thinking more about how the point guard’s strong performances so far have impacted winning than whether or not Murray will finally get All-Star recognition.
“How many All-Stars haven’t won championships?” Adelman said. “How many All-Stars don’t have a triple-double in the Finals? … Yeah, he doesn’t go to the glorified pickup game, but the guy is a champion and one of the best players of this generation.”
We have more on the Nuggets:
- Starting forward Cameron Johnson was unable to finish Monday’s win over Minnesota due to an injury the Nuggets are referring to as right shoulder inflammation, Durando writes in another story for The Denver Post (subscription required). “He was in pain. His shoulder was hurting him,” Adelman said. “I don’t think it’s extremely serious, but it was bothersome. To his credit, he came back out and tried to play. But that’s why it’s nice to have a guy like Tim (Hardaway Jr.) off your bench.” Johnson is listed as questionable to play on Wednesday vs. New Orleans.
- The Nuggets carried veteran center Moses Brown on an Exhibit 10 contract for the preseason and made a trade to acquire his G League returning rights, but he wasn’t on the training camp roster announced on Monday by the Grand Rapids Gold, Denver’s affiliate (Twitter link). It’s unclear what the next stop will be for Brown, who has appeared in 163 NBA regular season games since debuting in 2019.
- The Nuggets officially assigned DaRon Holmes to Grand Rapids on Tuesday, and that figures to be a common occurrence over the course of the season. As Durando writes for The Denver Post (subscription required), on paper, Holmes looks like a strong candidate to be the backup power forward in Denver’s NBA rotation, but the team will proceed extremely cautiously with the 2024 first-round pick after he missed his entire rookie year with an Achilles tear. Holmes is on board with that plan, according to Adelman. “DaRon has been nothing but positive. Great attitude. Good learner. Good in the locker room, not just on the court. Just a great kid overall,” the Nuggets’ coach said. “Can really shoot the ball. And you’ve gotta remember, he’s coming off an Achilles. It’s not like he had a sprained ankle last year. He’s playing basketball again for the first time (since college) in the last four months.”
Terry Rozier, Chauncey Billups Won’t Be Paid While On Leave
3:08 pm: The National Basketball Players Association has put out the following statement in response to the NBA’s decision to withhold Rozier’s salary, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Twitter link):
“While we are in agreement with the league that upholding the integrity of the game is of the utmost importance, their decision to place Terry on leave without pay is counter to the presumption of innocence and inconsistent with the terms of our Collective Bargaining Agreement,” an NBPA spokesperson said. “We plan to challenge their decision via the proper channels.”
12:30 pm: Reynolds clarifies (via Twitter) that Rozier’s withheld salary will be placed in an interest-bearing account rather than in escrow.
11:40 am: Heat guard Terry Rozier won’t receive his NBA salary while on leave after being arrested on federal charges related to an illegal betting scheme, reports Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press.
Confirming Reynolds’ report, ESPN’s Shams Charania says those pay checks will be held in escrow, pending the outcome of the FBI’s cases.
Charania adds that Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups – who was arrested in a separate but related illegal gambling case – also isn’t being paid.
Rozier has a cap hit of roughly $26.6MM this season. As Bobby Marks of ESPN tweets, the veteran guard would have received his first of 24 twice-monthly $1,110,126 pay checks later this week. If he’s eventually cleared and permitted to play in the NBA again, he would receive his full withheld salary, a source tells Reynolds.
Although Rozier isn’t being paid, the NBA also isn’t awarding the Heat any immediate cap or luxury tax relief, according to Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel (Twitter links). Winderman hears that discussions about the Heat’s cap situation are ongoing, with Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald (Twitter link) confirming that there’s still a scenario in which the team could be granted some “special” relief even without the league voiding Rozier’s contract.
The Heat are currently operating right up against the luxury tax line and don’t have room to sign a 15th man in free agency without going into the tax.
Federal investigators have accused Rozier of providing inside information about his health to a friend – who sold it to bettors – and pulling himself from a March 2023 game (while he was a member of the Hornets) so that several “under” prop bets would hit. He left that game early, citing a foot injury and didn’t play for the rest of the 2022/23 season.
ESPN’s Paula Lavigne and David Purdum reported on Tuesday that Rozier faced an $8,218,211 tax lien from the Internal Revenue Service later in 2023. However, Rozier’s attorney Jim Trusty told ESPN that his client actually owed the IRS a fraction of that amount.
“Terry never owed anyone $8 million,” Trusty said. “He owed $9,000 of the total $8 million in taxes from 2021, and it has been paid. We just need the IRS to help remove the now-defunct lien.”
Trusty made an appearance on Fox News on Tuesday to further defend his client, as Jackson and Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald detail, transcribing that interview. Trusty didn’t dispute the idea that Rozier told a friend about his health back in March 2023, but described it as “a situation where a friend took information and ran with it. According to Trusty, the then-Hornets guard never shared information about his availability for the purposes of illegal betting.
“I think the prosecution basically knows it, but they liked the idea of having him as a trophy in this case to kind of mirror the bigger case with Chauncey Billups,” Trusty said. “And I hope over time they will start to realize maybe a little bit of buyer’s remorse. They bit off more than they can chew.
“This is an innocent guy who’s getting completely screwed, to use some legal vernacular, in terms of his career. It’s an 11-year vet. He’s played 1,000 games. They’re latching onto a game where the NBA literally cleared him two years ago and trying to suggest that somehow they know better and that they know he was a conspirator, as opposed to just somebody who had a hurt foot.”
Warriors To Reevaluate De’Anthony Melton In Three Weeks
Warriors guard De’Anthony Melton is making “good progress” in his rehabilitation from last season’s ACL tear, having recently intensified his workouts, the team announced today (Twitter link).
According to the Warriors, Melton has been doing individual and “small group” work so far, but the plan is to integrate him into team practices during the next couple weeks. That will happen at both the NBA level and in the G League, where the Santa Cruz Warriors will be practicing more frequently than Golden State.
Melton will be reevaluated in three weeks, per the team, so his regular season debut won’t happen until at least late November. That lines up with comments made on October 1 by head coach Steve Kerr, who said during training camp that the 27-year-old would “hopefully be ready sometime in the next couple months.”
Melton opened the 2024/25 season with the Warriors and looked like a great fit on the roster last fall, but he tore his left ACL after appearing in just six regular season games. He was traded to Brooklyn for salary-matching purposes while injured, but returned to Golden State as a free agent this summer, signing a new two-year, minimum-salary contract that includes a second-year player option.
A jack-of-all-trades contributor who can handle the ball, knock down shots, and defend multiple positions, Melton is expected to play a regular role in the Warriors’ backcourt once he gets back to full health.
Southwest Notes: Okogie, Adams, Flagg, Mavs, G. Jackson
After using a jumbo starting lineup in their first two games of the season – both losses – the Rockets made a change on Monday, swapping in veteran wing Josh Okogie for center Steven Adams. As head coach Ime Udoka explained before the game, per Danielle Lerner of The Houston Chronicle (subscription required), he wanted a look at a smaller, more defensive-minded starting five.
“(Okogie) knows his role. He’s keeping it simple,” Udoka said. “Brings the physicality and aggressiveness on the defensive side of the ball. Knows how to play off other guys and then fits in with the areas we like: crashing the glass, slashing, making plays, second opportunities, and kind of gives Amen (Thompson) a break on ball at times.”
The change paid off, as Houston picked up its first win of the season. And while the sample size is very small, the Rockets’ lineup that features Okogie alongside Thompson, Alperen Sengun, Kevin Durant, Jabari Smith Jr. has an impressive +29.2 net rating in its first 13 minutes together.
Still, it’s worth noting that Monday’s victory came against the Nets, who didn’t put up much resistance against any lineups the Rockets used. Additionally, Houston has a +18.2 net rating in 59 minutes through three games with Sengun and Adams sharing the court, so Udoka figures to continue leaning on that pairing going forward.
We have more from around the Southwest:
- Mavericks rookie Cooper Flagg hurt his shoulder early in Monday’s game and appeared to be struggling with the injury after returning to the court, making just 1-of-9 shots on the night. However, he’s not on the injury report for Wednesday’s matchup with Indiana, so it sounds like he’s good to go, tweets Christian Clark of The Athletic. Dallas will likely be without its starting center for a second straight game though, as Dereck Lively II is listed as doubtful due to a right knee sprain.
- Dallas’ NBA and NHL teams are at odds, as the Mavericks filed suit against the NHL’s Dallas Stars on Tuesday, claiming that the club is in breach of its agreement with the American Airlines Center and has obstructed maintenance and upgrades to the arena the team shares. Brad Townsend and Lia Assimakopoulos of The Dallas Morning News have the details on that lawsuit in an in-depth story on the two clubs’ dysfunctional relationship. Assimakopoulos published a separate Morning News story about the Stars countersuing the Mavs on Wednesday, writing that the NHL team alleges the Mavs are attempting a “hostile takeover” of the arena.
- GG Jackson II had a breakout rookie season for the Grizzlies as a 19-year-old in 2023/24, but has seen his playing time decline significantly since then, even as the club has dealt with a series of injuries depleting its rotation. Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal takes a closer look at Jackson’s efforts to earn regular minutes, noting that the Grizzlies have challenged the third-year forward to improve his defense. “GG is always very valuable for us,” head coach Tuomas Iisalo said ahead of the season. “It’s easy to forget that he’s still the youngest player in our roster, even though he’s a third-year professional. He’s worked incredibly hard the whole summer. He’s looking to become a complete basketball player, and he’s taking the steps in the right direction.”
Wizards’ Coulibaly Set To Make Season Debut
Wizards forward Bilal Coulibaly has been cleared to make his regular season debut, according to head coach Brian Keefe, who told reporters today that Coulibaly will be available for Thursday’s game in Oklahoma City (Twitter link via Josh Robbins of The Athletic).
The seventh overall pick of the 2023 draft, Coulibaly underwent surgery last month to repair a torn ligament in his right thumb. He suffered that injury while playing for the French national team at EuroBasket 2025 and missed the entire preseason, as well as the first four games of the regular season.
Coulibaly was a full-time starter for the Wizards in 2024/25, averaging 12.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 1.3 steals in 33.0 minutes per game across 59 outings. Although his shooting percentages slipped to 42.1% from the field and 28.1% on three-point attempts, the 6’8″ wing has shown some promise as a two-way wing and just turned 21 in July.
So far this season, the Wizards have been using a starting five of Bub Carrington, CJ McCollum, Kyshawn George, Khris Middleton, and Alex Sarr, which has posted a net rating of -7.2 in 69 minutes of action. It’s unclear if Coulibaly will be reinserted into the lineup in place of one of those players or if he’ll come off the bench initially.
Coulibaly is one of six Washington players whose contract includes a rookie scale team option for 2026/27. The Wizards have until Friday’s deadline to make decisions on those, and it would come as a major surprise if they don’t pick up their $9.24MM fourth-year option on Coulibaly.
Magic Declining Jett Howard’s 2026/27 Option
The Magic won’t exercise their fourth-year option on Jett Howard‘s rookie scale contract for the 2026/27 season, reports Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel (Twitter link).
The move will make Howard an unrestricted free agent during the 2026 offseason, assuming he plays out the current season without being waived. The Magic – or Howard’s new team, if he’s traded prior to February’s deadline – would not be permitted next summer to offer him a starting salary exceeding $7,337,938, which is the amount of the ’26/27 option being declined.
The 11th overall pick in the 2023 draft and the son of former NBA star Juwan Howard, Jett has yet to establish himself as a reliable rotation player at the NBA level. In 80 total appearances since he made his professional debut, the former Michigan standout has averaged just 3.7 points and 1.0 rebound in 9.8 minutes per game, with a shooting line of .369/.294/.667.
The Magic’s financial situation made the decision to decline Howard’s fourth-year option a more straightforward one. Even without his $7.34MM cap hit on their books, they project to operate in tax apron territory in 2026/27, with Paolo Banchero‘s maximum-salary rookie scale extension set to take effect.
While Howard won’t have his 2026/27 option exercised, Orlando is picking up Anthony Black‘s fourth-year option and Tristan Da Silva‘s third-year option for next season, according to Beede (Twitter link).
Black, 21, is off to a strong start in a significant role off Orlando’s bench, averaging 12.0 points and 3.5 rebounds in 26.0 minutes per game while shooting 53.1% from the field. The sixth overall pick from the 2023 draft will earn $10,106,315 on his newly exercised 2026/27 option and will become eligible for a rookie scale extension during the 2026 offseason.
As for Da Silva, last year’s 18th overall pick had a solid rookie season for the Magic in 2024/25, averaging 7.2 points and 3.3 rebounds per game in 74 outings (38 starts). The 24-year-old German will make $3,991,200 in ’26/27 and the team will have to decide next October whether to exercise his $6.14MM option for the ’27/28 season.
We’re tracking all of this year’s rookie scale team option decisions right here.
Central Notes: McClung, White, LaVine, Green, Rollins
Appearing on 107.5 The Fan in Indianapolis on Tuesday (Twitter video link), Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said that Mac McClung was the most impressive participant in a three-player free agent workout the team hosted on Monday, earning him a non-guaranteed deal. According to Carlisle, the Pacers believe the three-time dunk contest champion is a more well-rounded player than his limited NBA résumé suggests.
“He can score, he’s a hard-playing guy,” Carlisle said. “For all the things we did in the workout, he didn’t dunk the ball once. … We need a guy that has energy, can go hard, is healthy – I think ‘is healthy’ is probably the number one thing – and that can play a couple of positions. He can play point, he can play off the ball.”
McClung’s contract with Indiana is a two-year, minimum-salary deal that includes a team option for 2026/27, per Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link). He has a cap hit of $2,283,168 for the current season, but would only be assured of earning that full amount if he remains under contract through January 7.
Here’s more from around the Central:
- Although Bulls guard Coby White is scheduled to be reevaluated next week, there’s no guarantee he’ll be cleared to return at that time from what head coach Billy Donovan refers to as a “tricky” calf strain, writes Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. “Just talking to the medical, here’s the problem: Like (White) doesn’t have any pain at all with what he’s doing,” Donovan explained on Monday. “He’s on the court shooting, he’s able to jog, but what ended up happening and what became a problem when we were playing competitively in practice were those stops, starts, quick explosiveness that maybe he’s not doing a lot of that in individual workout.”
- Wednesday’s game between the Bulls and Kings will mark the first time Zach LaVine returns to Chicago as an opponent since being traded to Sacramento in February. Bulls center Nikola Vucevic wants to see his former teammate get a warm reception from fans at the United Center. “I hope Bulls fans give him the welcome he deserves,” Vucevic said, per Paul Sullivan of The Chicago Tribune. “He gave a lot to the Bulls organization throughout the years. I know people criticized him at times, but it wasn’t always fair. He’s a great guy, always competed, played hard, tried his best and cared and wanted to do what’s right for the organization. He didn’t win, but I don’t think he always had the pieces (around him). And when we did, it didn’t work out for all of us.”
- Newly signed to multiyear contracts, A.J. Green and Ryan Rollins have played important roles in the Bucks‘ 3-1 start this season, according to Eric Nehm of The Athletic. Green has knocked down 3.3 three-pointers per game at a 59.1% clip, while Rollins has stepped in as the starting point guard following Kevin Porter Jr.‘s ankle injury and is averaging 15.3 points, 4.3 assists, and 3.0 steals per contest. Green signed a four-year, $45MM extension earlier this month; Rollins received a three-year, $12MM contract as a free agent in July.