Why did the Hornets choose to send their 2026 second-round draft pick to the Heat instead of their 2024 draft pick in the Terry Rozier trade?
According to ESPN, the Charlotte Hornets will send their 2026 second-round draft pick to the Tyler Herro Jersey. Given that the trade deadline has passed, many may wonder why the Hornets would give up a future draft pick to the Heat. Even more perplexing is how this trade relates to the Terry Rozier trade that took place two years ago.
What does Terry Rozier have to do with this?
To answer this, we need to go back to January 2024. On January 23, 2024, the Hornets traded Rozier to the Miami Heat. This trade aimed to add scoring firepower to the Heat’s roster, which already included Jimmy Butler, Tyler Herro, and Bam Adebayo. At the time, Rozier was playing for the Hornets and enjoying a career-best season, while the Hornets received a 2027 first-round draft pick and veteran guard Kyle Lowry in return. This move was considered a bargain for the Heat, and my colleague James Herbert gave the trade to Miami an A-.
While Rozier’s efficiency and stats declined somewhat, he still had a positive impact overall during his time with the Heat. He played 64 games in the 2024-25 season, but the team went through a turbulent period and failed to make the playoffs—that season the Heat traded Butler to the Warriors for a roster centered around Andrew Wiggins.
Terry Rozier was supposed to return to the Miami Heat this season, in the final year of his contract. However, on October 23, 2025, Rozier was arrested as part of a federal investigation into sports betting and illegal betting.
The investigation alleges that Rozier leaked a large amount of non-public, internal information regarding injuries. Specifically, in a March 2023 game between the Hornets and the Pelicans, Rozier, then playing for the Hornets, left the game after only 9 minutes and 34 seconds, contributing 5 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 assists. He allegedly disclosed his plan to leave the game early to close associates beforehand. Members of the group investigating Rozier reportedly placed over $200,000 in multiple special betting schemes against him on the “scoring under.”
The investigation currently involves 10 games Rozier played, spanning from February 2023 to March 2024—two months after he was traded to the Heat.
Since his arrest last October, Rozier has pleaded not guilty to both charges he faces in December 2025—conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering. His legal team filed for the charges to be dropped in late December, arguing that the federal government overstepped its authority in the indictment.
Despite initially being suspended without pay, Rozier won his appeal with the NBA Players Association (NBPA), allowing him to receive $26.6 million in salary for the 2025-26 season during his suspension.
The Heat had previously placed Rozier’s salary in an escrow account but resumed payments in February and will continue to do so until the case is decided.
Why must the Hornets give up a draft pick?
Back in December, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver publicly stated that, given Rozier’s inability to play until the situation was resolved, he might consider offering the Heat some form of “satisfactory compensation.” However, he didn’t specify the form of compensation, only stating that “this is an unprecedented situation.”
The situation is quite complicated, given that the Heat still needs to pay the Hornets their 2027 first-round draft pick (which will be rolled over to 2028 if it doesn’t go lottery). Miami might prefer to retain the pick that should have been paid to Charlotte, but this would make the league appear to be punishing the Hornets. It’s unclear who knew Rozier was under investigation when the trade occurred; allowing the Heat to retain the pick implies that the Hornets were aware of miami heat jersey.
According to ESPN, the Heat will ultimately acquire the more valuable second-round pick from this year’s draft between the Golden State Warriors and the Denver Nuggets.
It remains unclear why the league deemed the second-round pick reasonable compensation, but the Heat have at least gained something from this saga.
Fortunately, regardless of how Rozier’s legal battle unfolds, his contract expires at the end of the season. He will then become a free agent, and if ultimately found not guilty, he can sign with any team this summer.
