RealGM Basketball Wiretap

25 October 2025

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• Hornets Waive Jonas Aidoo

  The Charlotte Hornets waived center Jonas Aidoo. The Hornets had signed Aidoo to an Exhibit 10 contract. Aidoo is expected to join the Greensboro Swarm for the upcoming G League season.

  The Hornets roster stands at 19 players after waiving Aidoo and the previously reported waiver of Spencer Dinwiddie. Charlotte will need to make one more waiver to get into regular season roster compliance. Eric Dixon remains with the Hornets on an Exhibit 10 deal and is likely to be waived, then join the Swarm.

• NBA Team Valuations Reach $5.51 Billion Average, Up 20 Percent From 2024

  The average NBA team is now worth $5.51 billion, up 20 percent year-over-year and 113 percent since 2022, according to Sportico's calculations. The collective value of all 30 franchises reached $165 billion, driven by a landmark $76 billion media rights agreement and strategic arena investments.

  Rick Welts, newly appointed Dallas Mavericks CEO, called the current moment unprecedented for league growth.

  "Never had a moment like this where you could be as optimistic as I am," Welts said in a video interview. "A lot of people are in this league, from an international perspective, from a media perspective, and I really feel like we have the best ahead of us."

  The Golden State Warriors maintained their five-year reign as the NBA's most valuable franchise at $11.33 billion, second globally only to the NFL's Dallas Cowboys at $12.8 billion. The Los Angeles Lakers jumped to second place at $10 billion after Mark Walter's pending acquisition at 16 times revenue, surpassing the New York Knicks at $9.85 billion. The average value-to-revenue multiple for the NBA is 13.5, ahead of the WNBA at 12.0, the NFL at 10.3 and MLS at 9.4.

  The Warriors' dominance stems from arena ownership, sponsorship revenue nearly double any other team, and their WNBA affiliate, the Golden State Valkyries, valued at $500 million. The Valkyries made history as the first expansion team to qualify for the playoffs in their inaugural season.

  The new media contract with Amazon, ESPN/ABC and NBC raises each team's annual television revenue from $103 million to $143 million, with seven-percent annual increases through 2036. The "get-in" price for franchise ownership-represented by the Memphis Grizzlies at $4 billion-has jumped 2.5 times since 2022, when it stood at $1.63 billion.

  Recent high-profile sales drove valuations across the board. The Boston Celtics sold for $6.1 billion in March, while the Lakers' pending deal at $10 billion set a new record for control sales in sports history. The Portland Trail Blazers agreement at $4.25 billion followed in August.

  The NBA is pursuing expansion in Europe in partnership with FIBA, potentially launching 16 teams with a fall 2027 tipoff. The league also plans to develop a Basketball Africa League with 12 teams and dedicated home arenas. Welts emphasized international opportunities as transformational for league economics.

  "The international opportunity is multiple of what the domestic U.S. sports market is," Welts said. "The technology will allow anybody, anywhere in the world to consume any NBA game."

  New arenas are under construction in Oklahoma City ($900 million, opening 2028) and Philadelphia (2030), with the Dallas Mavericks scouting sites following 24 years at the shared American Airlines Center.

  2025 NBA Team Valuations

  Rank	Team	2025 Valuation	1-Year Change
  1	Golden State Warriors	$11.33B	+24%
  2	Los Angeles Lakers	$10B	+24%
  3	New York Knicks	$9.85B	+19%
  4	Los Angeles Clippers	$6.72B	+18%
  5	Boston Celtics	$6.35B	+12%
  6	Brooklyn Nets	$6.22B	+9%
  7	Chicago Bulls	$6.12B	+10%
  8	Miami Heat	$6.03B	+21%
  9	Philadelphia 76ers	$5.61B	+23%
  10	Houston Rockets	$5.53B	+16%
  11	Dallas Mavericks	$5.24B	+17%
  12	Toronto Raptors	$5.22B	+12%
  13	Phoenix Suns	$5.09B	+18%
  14	Atlanta Hawks	$5.02B	+23%
  15	Sacramento Kings	$5B	+22%
  16	Cleveland Cavaliers	$4.86B	+23%
  17	Denver Nuggets	$4.8B	+18%
  18	Washington Wizards	$4.78B	+20%
  19	Indiana Pacers	$4.76B	+27%
  20	Milwaukee Bucks	$4.54B	+16%
  21	San Antonio Spurs	$4.5B	+19%
  22	Oklahoma City Thunder	$4.34B	+22%
  23	Utah Jazz	$4.27B	+16%
  24	Portland Trail Blazers	$4.25B	+18%
  25	Minnesota Timberwolves	$4.24B	+29%
  26	Orlando Magic	$4.21B	+22%
  27	Detroit Pistons	$4.17B	+21%
  28	Charlotte Hornets	$4.13B	+22%
  29	New Orleans Pelicans	$4.02B	+30%
  30	Memphis Grizzlies	$4B	+31%

• Spencer Dinwiddie Waived By Hornets

  Spencer Dinwiddie has been waived by the Charlotte Hornets. Charlotte's roster now stands at 19 players.

  Dinwiddie originally signed with the Hornets on July 13, 2025 and has appeared in two preseason contests totaling six points in 30 minutes of play.

  Dinwiddie averaged 13.0 points, 3.0 rebounds and 5.1 assists in 27.7 minutes last season with the Dallas Mavericks.

• Hornets Waive Ibou Badji

  The Charlotte Hornets waived Ibou Badji, the team announced on Tuesday.

  Badji most recently played for La Laguna Tenerife in Spain.

  Badji, who initially signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the Hornets, is likely to join the Greensboro Swarm.

• Hornets Sign Eric Dixon

  The Charlotte Hornets signed Eric Dixon, the team announced on Wednesday.

  Dixon originally agreed to a two-way contract with the Lakers this offseason, though he was eventually signed on a non-guaranteed Exhibit 10 deal following injury concerns.

  Dixon, who averaged 23.3 points for Villanova last season, is likely to play with the Greensboro Swarm this season.

• Hornets Waive DJ Rodman

  The Charlotte Hornets waived DJ Rodman, the team announced on Tuesday.

  The team signed Rodman to an Exhibit 10 contract last week.

  Rodman, who played with the Capital City Go-Go and Maine Celtics last season, is likely to join the Greensboro Swarm.