Heat’s Pat Riley breaks silence on Terry Rozier move that backfired

MIAMI – With the Miami Heat surrounded by rumors heading into the offseason, there is no denying that this past season was a whirlwind for a myriad of reasons. Besides the Heat losing in the play-in tournament as the 10th seed and missing the playoffs, looking back to the start of the season, Terry Rozier was arrested by the federal government as part of a gambling probe.

As that situation is ongoing, the basketball side put Miami in a tough place, with president Pat Riley touching on the issue during Monday’s end-of-season press conference. Besides the arrest, Rozier had an underwhelming stint with Miami, with some flashes since being dealt in 2023 before the trade deadline, where the Heat gave up a first-round pick and Kyle Lowry to the Charlotte Hornets.

“We traded for a player that we felt at that time was a real upgrade to the roster, with Jimmy [Butler] and Tyler [Herro], and Bam [Adebayo], and we could get another, like we did with Norman Powell, a 23-point-a-game scorer that was a very streaky offensive player,” Riley said.

Pat Riley on the #Heat getting a second round pick for Terry Rozier and reflecting on the move:

“I didn't negotiate that deal. The NBA did. But my point is, is that was handled pretty much by the league…[The Rozier situation] was not a very good situation. There's no doubt.” pic.twitter.com/T7fM5TLtHb

— Zachary Weinberger (@ZachWeinberger) April 27, 2026

Heat’s Pat Riley on NBA giving a second-round pick due to Terry Rozier

Rozier would be arrested after Miami’s regular-season opener against the Orlando Magic on Oct. 23.

It led to a bunch of speculation on the Heat being compensated back an NBA Draft pick since Charlotte and the NBA never revealed to the team that Rozier had been investigated by the league while with the Hornets for gambling in 2023. While the league found no evidence of wrongdoing, it led to the federal government arresting the guard a few years later.

While fans demanded a first-round pick, the NBA gave the Heat a second-round pick, with Riley giving his thoughts on the matter.

“I didn’t negotiate that deal. The NBA did…that was handled pretty much by the league…that was not a very good situation. There’s no doubt,” Riley said.

At any rate, Miami cut Rozier earlier this month, putting to an end a sour spot in the team’s recent history.

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