As widely anticipated, the Miami Heat officially released Terry Rozier on Friday ahead of the 5:00pm NBA deadline today to waive a player on an expiring contract.
In perhaps the shortest Heat press release ever, it reads:
MIAMI, FL – The Miami HEAT announced today that they have waived guard Terry Rozier III.
Rozier III spent three seasons with Miami averaging 12.5 points, 3.9 rebounds and 3.3 assists.
Miami is opening up a roster spot that can be utilized to sign a player before the postseason deadline, which is Sunday. They can choose to sign a player elsewhere or convert the two-way contract of Vladislav Goldin, Trevor Keels or Jahmir Young to a standard contract.
The Terry Rozier saga may be over in Miami, but its effects will reverberate throughout the franchise for years to come, as it will go down as one of the worst trades in their franchise history. Even though the Charlotte Hornets knew full well that Rozier was under investigation for his role in an illegal sports betting scheme, the NBA still allowed them to trade him for a 2027 first-round pick and Kyle Lowry in 2024.
Miami never got the player they envisioned, and Rozier was swiftly placed on the inactive list after being arrested by the FBI following the first game of the regular season alongside other sports figures such as Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups.
Yes, the NBA compensated the Heat with an extra second-round pick, but the damage has already been done, and Charlotte walks away with a valuable first-round pick.
What should the Heat do with their open roster spot? Let us know in the comments!
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Good job signing him Pat
Riley has no one to blame but himself. Miami was clearly defrauded by Charlotte with the full knowledge and consent of Adam Silver and the NBA.
That fraud would ultimately cost Miami tens of millions of dollars in salary as a result of the league’s decision to suspend Rozier for the entire 2025-2026 season.
That does not include the steep drop-off in Rozier’s performance in 2023-2024 and 2024-2025, possibly because of the pressure/fear he may have been feeling as a result of the FBI’s ongoing investigation of his alleged criminal activities.
Miami could have used the money to pay Rozier instead to bring in front court help before the 2025-2026 season or at least by the trade deadline. That option was denied to Miami, as the result of Silver’s decision to withhold relevant information regarding the investigation before he approved the January 2024 trade.
Talk about rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. Releasing Rozier now is a bit late. This whole debacle is another of several reasons for Riley to retire once the Heat’s postseason is over.
The answer is “due diligence.” The question from the Mighty Carnac is, “What did Pat forget to do.”
It’s going to be interesting what our GM has up his sleeve now, if anything. Why do this at this too late of a date to make any impact? Is there anyone worthwhile out there?
If they move one of Vlad, Trevor, or Jahmir to a regular contract, why in the heck didn’t they play much more to see what they offered in real game situations?? To be a cheerleader like Keshad? What’s the point?
Hard to know. Maybe there will be an answer coming.
I think the closer we look, the more evidence of Riley’s mismanagement we will find. He’s hasn’t lost a step…he’s lost several. He needs to retire before he does irreparable damage to his reputation. He had a good run but now he is done. Give him a nice sendoff, build him a statue and call it a career.
And Riley definitely deserves that, and will still be associated with greatness. The things I have said about him absolutely only pertain to the last few years. I salute his previous accomplishments and nothing can take them away.
Dan Marino was bad for his last two seasons, but most have forgotten that. I can still remember him throwing at least two of those short down and out pattern pick sixes during his last couple years.
No hard feelings. Just a realization that he is no longer what he once was. As people age, things change. Eventually, every person has to face the inevitable. This is Pat’s time to do so.