The Associated Press reported Thursday that Miami Heat shooting guard Terry Rozier will be placed on unpaid leave while under federal investigation for illegal sports gambling.

According to the report, Rozier was supposed to receive the first installment of his $26.6 million salary this week, but this amount, along with any future salary he is due to receive, has been withheld due to the ongoing federal investigation. The withholding period will depend on the final outcome of the investigation.

Meanwhile, former Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups, who is also under federal investigation, received the same penalty last week.

Despite this, the NBA will not grant the Heat or the Portland Trail Blazers any leeway in adjusting their salary cap restrictions due to the unpaid leaves of both Billups and Rozier.

Rozier will only be able to end his unpaid leave, which began on October 23, and receive the full amount of his withheld salary once the federal investigation concludes and he is released.

However, this decision by the NBA has drawn criticism from the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA).

An official spokesperson for the NBPA stated that while all legal procedures must be respected, according to the principle of presumption of innocence, the NBA should not immediately place Rozier on unpaid leave without trial until he is convicted, and the NBPA will challenge this decision through appropriate legal channels.

Last Thursday (October 23), the U.S. Department of Justice announced that Billups and Rozier had been arrested by the FBI on suspicion of involvement in illegal sports betting.

The case involves manipulating game results using confidential NBA information, involving tens of millions of dollars.

According to the indictment, Rozier participated in an illegal betting scheme since 2023, providing gamblers with non-public information on player availability and injuries.

At least seven NBA games were used for betting, including games between the Charlotte Hornets, Orlando Magic, Portland Trail Blazers, Los Angeles Lakers, and Toronto Raptors. Prosecutors stated that in three of these games, players deliberately left the game or faked injuries to influence the betting odds.

The Miami Heat player left the game early in the first quarter of a March 2023 game against the New Orleans Pelicans. A childhood friend subsequently sold this information to gamblers for $100,000, and the bets won hundreds of thousands of dollars.

While Billups wasn't directly listed in the Rozier case, the description of a conspirator in the indictment closely matches him.

He had informed gamblers that several key Trail Blazers players would miss the March 2023 game against the Chicago Bulls, causing market volatility.

Prosecutors allege that he and Rozier are charged with wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. Both have since been suspended by the NBA and are under federal investigation.