RealGM Basketball Wiretap

04 November 2025

• Brandon Miller Out At Least Two More Weeks With Shoulder Injury

  Brandon Miller will be reevaluated in two weeks after the Charlotte Hornets confirmed his left shoulder subluxation injury. Miller underwent further evaluation for the injury that was suffered on October 25.

  Miller has missed five straight games with the injury after averaging 14.5 points and 4.0 assists in the Hornets' initial two games of the season.

  Miller played in just 27 games last season due to a season-ending torn ligament in his right wrist.

• Hornets Exercise 2026-27 Team Option For Brandon Miller, Tidjane Salaun

  The Charlotte Hornets exercised their 2026-27 team options for Brandon Miller and Tidjane Salaun on Friday.

  Miller's option is for $15.1 million. Miller is currently out due to a shoulder subluxation.

  Salaun's option is worth $8.24 million. Salaun is averaging 4.0 points and 4.8 rebounds on the season.

• NBA Says Terry Rozier Investigation Lacked Sufficient Evidence, Never Cleared Him

  The NBA permitted Terry Rozier to continue playing after a 2023 investigation into suspicious wagering activity because it did not find sufficient evidence of wrongdoing, though the league never technically cleared him, according to NBA spokesperson Mike Bass.

  Rozier was arrested and indicted on two federal charges last week alleging he shared information that he would exit a March 23, 2023 game early with a friend who sold it to sports bettors. The guard appeared in 125 games over the last two seasons following the league's probe.

  Multiple sportsbooks flagged suspicious prop bets on Rozier ahead of the 2023 game when he played for the Charlotte Hornets. Rozier exited after just 9 minutes and 34 seconds, scoring five points-16 fewer than his season average-while $263,000 was wagered on his prop bets.

  "At the time, we did not find sufficient evidence to conclude that Rozier violated league rules," Bass told The Athletic. "As is typical for NBA investigations, this conclusion was subject to any new evidence we might receive."

  The NBA interviewed Rozier and examined his phone before allowing him to continue playing. The league shared its findings with the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York, which secured indictments this month.

  Bass acknowledged the league's investigative limitations compared to law enforcement agencies. The NBA employs a sports gambling investigative team led by a top league attorney and former federal prosecutor.

  "The NBA does not have the same authority or investigatory resources as the federal government, including subpoena power to obtain information from anyone, law enforcement surveillance, wire-tapping and search warrants," Bass said.

  Rozier's attorney Jim Trusty maintains the guard suffered a legitimate injury during the game in question. Bass confirmed an MRI documented Rozier's injury at the time.

  Rozier, through his attorney, has denied the federal charges. The case raises questions about the effectiveness of league investigations into suspicious gambling activity without law enforcement resources.

• LaMelo Ball Fined $35,000 For Obscene Gesture Toward Referee

  Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball has been fined $35,000 for making an obscene gesture on the playing court. Ball gave a referee the middle finger.

  The incident, for which Ball was assessed a technical foul, occurred with 4:02 remaining in the fourth quarter of the Hornets' 144-117 loss to the Miami Heat on Oct. 28 at Kaseya Center.

• Terry Rozier's Lawyer Claims Shoe Contract Disproves Gambling Allegations

  Terry Rozier's attorney Jim Trusty dismissed federal allegations that his client faked an injury to facilitate illegal sports betting, arguing Rozier lost money from his shoe endorsement deal by missing games at the end of the 2022-23 season.

  The federal indictment alleges Rozier informed co-defendant De'Niro Laster he would prematurely remove himself from a March 23, 2023 game in the first quarter due to a supposed injury. Rozier exited that Charlotte Hornets-New Orleans Pelicans contest and missed the final eight games of the season.

  Trusty appeared Tuesday on The Will Cain Show on Fox News to defend his client against the charges unsealed last week.

  "This indictment actually suggests that he faked the injury, which is absurd. People knew about it. Medical people knew about it. Staff knew about it. Friends knew about it," Trusty said. "And so when he sat that game and the next five or six games to end the season, he actually lost money."

  Trusty told Front Office Sports that Rozier's shoe contract was pro-rated based on games played. He said Rozier "lost a significant amount of money by sitting out the last 5-6 games of that season."

  Rozier had a shoe deal with Puma through the end of the 2022-23 season, though financial details remain undisclosed. He wore Nike shoes exclusively the following season before switching to Skechers for most of last season.

  When asked directly whether Rozier provided inside information for illegal betting purposes, Trusty responded emphatically.

  "Yes, that's an easy one to answer. It's an absolute not. Never happened," Trusty said. "I think the prosecution basically knows it, but they liked the idea of having him as a trophy in this case to kind of mirror the bigger case with Chauncey Billups."

  The indictment lists eight separate betting instances on Rozier unders totaling $265,300 in wagers. It remains unclear whether Rozier received any money from the alleged scheme.

  The indictment states defendants Marves Fairley and Laster counted money at Rozier's Charlotte home on April 1, 2023.

• Brandon Miller Out Due To Shoulder Subluxation, Will Be Re-Evaluated On Wednesday

  Brandon Miller is set to miss his second straight game due to shoulder subluxation on Tuesday.

  Miller is set to be re-evaluated on October 29 when the Hornets return from their road trip.

  Miller suffered the injury during the second quarter of the Hornets' loss to the Sixers on Saturday.

• NBA Denies Claim They Shadow Suspended Terry Rozier In 2023

  The NBA has denied that they were responsible for Terry Rozier ending his season following a March 23, 2023 game with the Charlotte Hornets in which he exited after just 10 minutes. The game in question is central to his arrest due to a federal investigation about gambling.

  ESPN's Brian Windhorst asserted that Rozier faked the injury and that he missed the final eight games of the season due to the NBA's involvement with a shadow suspension.

  "The sportsbooks caught it. They told the NBA right away. And guess what? The NBA... Rozier didn't play the rest of the season. And he had faked the injury, so it wasn't because of the injury. The NBA pulled him. They pulled Jontay Porter too. They flagged Jontay Porter and pulled Jontay Porter," Windhorst said on The Rich Eisen Show.

  "Any assertion that the NBA had anything to do with Terry Rozier not playing games following his departure from the game on March 23, 2023, is categorically false," NBA spokesperson Mike Bass said. "Per team doctors, Rozier had a real foot injury confirmed with an MRI."

  Windhorst clarified his comments via email on Friday.

  "The sportsbooks and the NBA's integrity monitoring partners flagged the irregular betting on Rozier and the league was aware of the possible issue very quickly. He then did not play for the rest of the season," Windhorst wrote. "In the case of Jontay Porter the following season, the NBA did pull him after a second incident of suspicious wagering was flagged by the integrity monitors, which I mentioned. The cases were similar but slightly different, the league explained."

  Windhorst also said he never implied a conspiracy from the NBA.

  "On Eisen, I said the NBA would have to explain at some point what happened that allowed Rozier to keep playing, never did I say or imply there was a conspiracy. I subsequently had that conversation with the league about their process. On TV this morning, I reported the league's explanation for why they weren't able to corroborate the charges against Rozier and allowed him to play.

  "In conjunction, I also questioned why there was a belief there was a conspiracy. The league investigated Rozier, which was public, and then decided to allow him to continue to play, which was public. It is not a good look for the NBA that he was allowed to play but I think that underscores their limited investigative power not a conspiracy, which implies something wholly different."

  The Miami Heat acquired Rozier from the Hornets at the 2024 trade deadline. Rozier is now on indefinite leave and is on an expiring contract.

• Terry Rozier Arrested As Part Of Illegal Gambling Investigation

  Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier was arrested Thursday morning in Orlando and charged with participating in an illegal sports betting scheme that used nonpublic NBA information to gain an advantage. Federal prosecutors described the case as insider trading for professional basketball, alleging players intentionally removed themselves from contests to benefit gamblers' bets.

  Rozier appeared in federal court in Orlando wearing a Charlotte Hornets sweatshirt, handcuffs and shackles. His attorney, Jim Trusty of Ifrah Law, stated Rozier is "not a gambler" and "looks forward to winning this fight."

  Before a March 23, 2023 game against the New Orleans Pelicans, Rozier allegedly told childhood friend Deniro Laster he would remove himself in the first quarter due to a supposed injury. Laster allegedly sold the information to two bettors for approximately $100,000.

  The bettors and their network of proxy bettors wagered hundreds of thousands of dollars on Rozier's unders. Rozier exited after nine minutes with 5 points, 2 assists and 4 rebounds, allowing many bets to win.

  Rozier paid for Laster to travel to Philadelphia to collect proceeds from the scheme, according to the indictment. Laster then drove to Rozier's home to count the money with him.

• Hornets To Keep Pat Connaughton As Possible Trade Chip

  The Charlotte Hornets have decided to keep Pat Connaughton on their roster as a possible trade piece, sources told Marc Stein of The Stein Line.

  Connaughton, who averaged 5.3 points and 2.7 rebounds with the Bucks last year, is on a $9.4 million expiring contract.

  The 32-year-old is also a popular veteran in the locker room.

  The Hornets waived Spencer Dinwiddie last week, surprising some executives around the league.

• Hornets Waive Eric Dixon

  The Charlotte Hornets have waived forward Eric Dixon. The Hornets had signed Dixon to an Exhibit 10 contract. Dixon is expected to join the Greensboro Swarm for the upcoming G League season.

  The Hornets roster now stands at the regular maximum of 18 players.