Inside The Heat

Miami Heat reportedly told the NBA they should recoup the draft pick they traded

The Heat were not told about any investigations when they made the deal in 2023 and want to be reimbursed.
Alex Toledo|
Oct 23, 2024; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Heat president Pat Riley addresses the crowd during the Pat Riley Court dedication ceremony at halftime at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images
Oct 23, 2024; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Heat president Pat Riley addresses the crowd during the Pat Riley Court dedication ceremony at halftime at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images | Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

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According to longtime reporter Marc Stein, the Miami Heat reportedly made their case to the NBA that they should get back the 2027 first round draft pick they sent to Charlotte in the 2023 trade for Terry Rozier.

"The Heat, of course, have argued that the 2027 first-round pick they surrendered to Charlotte to acquire Rozier should stay in Miami because it was not disclosed by the Hornets or the league at the time of the teams' swap in January 2023 that the 31-year-old was under scrutiny for alleged illegal gambling."

Although the Heat might not get their draft pick back, the Heat may still think there is a possibility that Rozier's contract can be used in a potential trade, despite no official word on the matter by the league.

"NBA commissioner Adam Silver remained non-committal about the trade status of Terry Rozier when asked about the Miami guard Tuesday at an NBA Cup press conference, but the Heat are said to be quietly confident that a trade involving Rozier's $26.6 million salary between now and the Feb. 5 trade deadline would ultimately be ratified."

"As previously reported by The Stein Line, no formal ruling from the league office on whether Rozier's salary can be included in a transaction this winter is likely to be made until a trade is actually agreed upon and sent to the NBA for the standard approval process."

Additionally, the Heat reportedly also do not have official word on whether or not they could waive Rozier and get $1.7 million, (in unguaranteed money), further away from the luxury tax.

“In terms of Miami, this is an unprecedented situation. I’m incredibly sympathetic to the Heat and their fans. We’re going to try and work this out with them, but there’s no obvious solution here," commissioner Silver said when addressing media on Tuesday."

If the NBA were to give the Heat their 2027 pick back, it would allow them to offer up to four first rounders in a trade for a superstar if need be, along with multiple pick swaps, young players and the necessary matching salaries.

"I would just say that there’s no doubt, at the moment, they have a player that can’t provide services for them, and as to the draft pick they conveyed, obviously [Rozier] hasn’t been convicted of anything yet either, but this is an unfortunate circumstance, but sometimes there's these unique events and, maybe sometimes, they require unique solutions," Silver concluded. "We’ll be looking at this with the Heat and other teams and see if there's any satisfactory relief.”

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Alexander Toledo is a contributor to Miami Heat On SI and producer/co-host of the Five on the Floor podcast, covering the Heat and NBA. He can be reached at Twitter: @tropicalblanket

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Alex Toledo
ALEX TOLEDO

Alex, who was born in Miami, is also a producer, co-host and reporter for the Five on the Floor podcast. He has covered the Heat and NBA since 2019 as a season credential holder. He studied journalism at Florida International University.

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