Terry Rozier continues to fight for his salary and NBA future

• Terry Rozier wants to have the opportunity to be contracted as a free agent in the NBA
• His lawyer has filed a new motion that specifically looks to end a no-contact ruling with the Hornets
• Rozier is alleged to have been part of an illegal gambling scheme, tipping off gamblers and exiting games early to influence betting outcomes

Terry Rozier is under increasing pressure from investigators and prosecutors, who recently alleged that he accepted bribes to ensure certain outcomes of plays in games he participated in and possibly made as much as $100,000 this way.

In the wake of these new challenges, Rozier has suffered another blow, with the NBA receiving the power to withhold most of his $26.6m salary, which the athlete is also now indirectly challenging, citing his future as a professional basketball player as the reason why.

On Wednesday, Rozier’s legal representatives filed a motion, asking US District Judge LaShann DeArcy Hall of the Eastern District of New York to amend and lift a restriction that bans Rozier from having any contact with the Hornets - one of the conditions that allowed him to be released before his trial.

Jim Trusty, Rozier's attorney, insists that the restriction is having a negative impact on a separate arbitration dispute over his $26.6m salary for the 2025-26 season.

Because of the restrictions on contact with the Hornets, Trusty adds that his client would have limited opportunities to be contracted as a free agent in the NBA, with free agency beginning on June 30, 2026.

"Under the current ruling of the arbitrator, an inability to play for or against the Charlotte Hornets would constitute a ‘failure to perform services’ by Mr. Rozier and substantially diminish or eliminate any chance of being contracted by an NBA team," Trusty said in the complaint.

Presently, Rozier faces charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering, and faced additional charges through a superseding indictment of sports bribery and honest services fraud.

In October, he was indicted for his alleged participation in an illegal gambling scheme but was allowed to stay out of jail while his trial begins on a $6m bond, as well as a prohibition on contacting current or former employees of the Heat and Hornets, the teams he was supposedly associated with when he committed the alleged betting violations. Since then, the Heat has been removed from the no-contact list.

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