Rozier, Billups will not receive NBA salaries while fighting gambling cases – reports

AP:

NBA GUARD Terry Rozier and coach Chauncey Billups will not receive their salaries while on leave for their arrests on federal gambling-related charges, two people with knowledge of the matters told The Associated Press yesterday.

Rozier had been due to receive the first instalment of a US$26.6-million annual salary with the Miami Heat later this week. That, and future instalments, will be held pending resolution of his legal case, said the people, who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the details were not released publicly.

If Rozier is cleared and allowed to return to the NBA, which placed him on leave hours after his October 23 arrest, he could receive the held payments in full, one of the sources said.

The Heat will not receive any immediate salary cap relief by the NBA’s decision, one of the sources said.

There are provisions in the NBA’s collective bargaining agreement that allow the league, in certain situations, to place salary withheld from a player in an interest-bearing account.

Billups, the Portland coach who has also been placed on leave by the league after his arrest last week, is having his salary held by the Trail Blazers, one of the sources said. Billups is under contract into at least the 2026-27 season; the team announced that he agreed to a multiyear extension in April.

There was no immediate comment from either the Heat or the Trail Blazers.

The National Basketball Players Association indicated it would file a grievance on Rozier’s behalf.

“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,” said an NBPA spokesperson.

“We plan to challenge their decision via the proper channels.”