Rumors

While guard Terry Rozier remains on the Miami Heat’s roster, his release is expected in the coming weeks. Rozier likely won’t be on the Heat’s postseason roster, according to a league source.

Miami Herald

With Rozier away from the team and not expected back this season in the wake of his Oct. 23 arrest stemming from a federal investigation into illegal gambling, the Heat is expected to waive Rozier before the end of the regular season to open a roster spot to add a player for depth in the postseason.

Miami Herald

One of the reasons the Heat hasn’t yet released Rozier — even though he can no longer be used in a trade since the Feb. 5 NBA trade deadline already passed — is because it doesn’t feel the immediate need to add a replacement player because of its current depth. Even with some injury issues along the way, Heat players who were once in the rotation earlier this season like Nikola Jovic, Simone Fontecchio, Dru Smith and Myron Gardner have recently had their playing time cut with the roster moving closer to full health.

Miami Herald

Fred VanVleet sat in an Italian restaurant a short drive from the Houston Rockets’ practice facility. Between bites of his spicy pepper-topped pizza, he considered how the ubiquity of sports gambling has affected the players he represents as the president of the National Basketball Players Association. “Kind of feels like it’s gotten away from us a little bit,” he said. He tried a metaphor. “A nice little campfire makes you feel warm,” he said. “You got marshmallows and s’mores. But if it turns into a wildfire — that kind of feels like where we are right now. I don’t know how you rein it back in.”

New York Times

Pablo Torre Finds Out: We followed the money, from Venmo to IG, and found ex-Bulls guard Antonio Blakeney making it rain with a betting influencer — while trying to get back in the NBA. "Nixon didn't also have an Instagram account where he was like, 'Ayye, look at what my boys got from Watergate!'"

Twitter

Pablo Torre Finds Out: NEW INVESTIGATION: Former LSU star and Bulls guard Antonio Blakeney is the unnamed "Co-Conspirator 1" in the NBA gambling scandal, according to law-enforcement officials — and he's still playing. "This... is the real original sin — but he is continuing to exist under the radar."

Twitter

In an Instagram story on Friday, which included a screenshot of the email, Nina Westbrook tied the hostility to the growth of gambling culture, which has coincided with increased vitriol toward players and their families across sports. The Athletic could not independently verify the authenticity of the email. An email message sent to the sender’s address in the screenshot went unanswered. In the expletive-laden message, the writer said Russell Westbrook “sucks to fckn bad can’t even get 10 points is pathetic I hope you both die in a car crash dumb b—-.”

New York Times

“Unfortunately, this is not an isolated incident. It’s something my husband and I consider routine. With that said, I’m sharing this now because I’m growing increasingly concerned for athletes,” she wrote, citing her experience as a licensed marriage and family therapist. “I felt it important to highlight the effects that sports betting has on individuals and how it puts athletes and their families in potentially dangerous positions.”

New York Times

Dame to Giannis after his three-point contest win: "Did you place something on Kalshi?"

reddit

Kelly Iko: Adam Silver on Giannis Antetokounmpo’s recent partnership with Kalshi: “We currently are looking at prediction markets in the same way as sports betting companies. In the case of Giannis, it’s a minuscule investment…..We need a better handle on all the activity happening out there.”

Twitter

As federal prosecutors continue to investigate possible illegal sports gambling on NBA games, they are looking into additional games beyond the seven contests named in a Department of Justice indictment this fall.

New York Times

“The government has ongoing investigations,” David Berman, an assistant U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District, said in court last week. “And our understanding is the defendant has conducted himself in similar manners in other instances as well.” It is not known how many games are being investigated, or if there are other NBA players who may be implicated.

New York Times

Timothy McCormack, a self-proclaimed gambling addict, received a two-year prison sentence Wednesday as he became the first defendant to be sentenced for his role in a sweeping conspiracy involving NBA players Terry Rozier and Jontay Porter.

ESPN

Barry Jackson: Per source, one reason why the NBA hasn't terminated Rozier contract and given Miami cap space (unlike what it did with J. Porter) is the league has not been given access to whatever evidence the feds have in their charges against Rozier. So NBA has no evidence to overturn its previous conclusion that Rozier did nothing wrong. Heat operating under belief it can trade him as a cap facilitator.

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