Terry Rozier and Chauncey Billups have been arrested. What happens now?

Written by Lachlan Sherriff

When the 2025-26 NBA season tipped off in Oklahoma City, there wasn't really much that connected Terry Rozier, Chauncey Billups and Damon Jones, aside from the fact that they were all guards in the NBA at some point.

But only 36 hours later, the three men were all connected to what might just be the biggest illegal gambling take down in sports history.

Jones hasn't played in the NBA since 2009, and hasn't coached in it since 2018. Of course, if he's found guilty, he will be given punishment from the court of law. But since he hasn't been involved in the NBA in seven years, you can't imagine the league could really discipline him.

But for Rozier and Billups, the circumstances are more severe.

Less then 24 hours before the arrests were made, Billups was coaching the Portland Trail Blazers season opener against the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Blazers lost 118-114.

Meanwhile, Rozier sat on the bench and recorded a DNP as his Miami Heat lost 125-121 to the Orlando Magic.

Now, it's unclear if we'll ever see either of them in an NBA arena again.

For Billups, his alleged gambling wasn't on sports. Instead, Billups, along with Damon Jones, allegedly featured in illegal poker games, that were rigged. The infamous Sicilian crime family known as La Cosa Nostra are also allegedly involved in this.

Make no mistake about it. If Billups is proven guilty, he's never coaching in an NBA game again. Of course, Billups is presumed innocent until proven guilty. But even still, it's hard to see how he can continue coaching until a verdict is given, no matter what verdict that is.

Former Indiana Pacers coach Nate Bjorkgren is currently an assistant coach in Portland, and was a contender to become the "interim" head coach. Portland also have former NBA center Tiago Splitter, best known for his time at the Spurs where he was coached by the legendary Gregg Popovich, who recently joined the Blazers coaching staff this year. In the end, the Blazers chose Splitter to become the acting head coach.

Either way, the Blazers next game is at home against the Warriors in less then 24 hours, and their official head coach is in custody.

Then there's the Rozier case. Unlike Billups' arrest, which came out of the blue, there had been reports on Terry Rozier being involved in illegal gambling.

For a while, it seemed like nothing would come from these reports. But finally, something has.

For Miami, it seemed like Rozier wasn't in their rotation this season anyways. Of course, they'd prefer for their player not to be found guilty of illegal gambling, but from a team perspective, this shouldn't hurt them as much as it hurts Portland.

However, there is one thing worth noting. Unlike Billups, Rozier was allegedly gambling on his own games. And you can't imagine that'll go down too well with Adam Silver.

When Tim Donaghy was found guilty of betting on games he refereed in 2007, the NBA swore for this to be a one-off. This wasn't a serious problem, just one ref gone rogue.

Then Toronto Raptors center Jontay Porter got permanently suspended from the NBA in 2024 for betting on his matches. This was another terrible look for the league, but it was masked by the fact Porter was a guy on a minimum contract who decided to make his money elsewhere.

But the NBA's now on two strikes with gambling. If Terry Rozier is found guilty, that's strike three.

On March the 23rd, 2023, the Charlotte Hornets, who Terry Rozier played for at the time, were set to play the New Orleans Pelicans. And something immediately felt weird in the betting market.

Hundreds of bets were submitted taking the under on Rozier's points, assists and rebounds, to the point where Rozier's market was closed.

It was then reported that Rozier had told people to take his unders as he planned on leaving the game early though injury, which he did.

Of course, Rozier is innocent until proven otherwise. But if he is found guilty, this is probably Adam Silver's worst nightmare.

The NBA got away with it when Tim Donaghy was called a "rogue individual". They got away with it when they assured us that most of the players who made way more money then Jontay Porter would never feel the need to do what he did.

And yet, Terry Rozier, now in his eleventh NBA season, with $160 million in career earnings, has allegedly done exactly that.

If Billups, and especially Rozier, are found guilty, it's a dark day for the NBA. They'll have no choice but to admit that there's a gambling problem within the system.

And of course, they'll have to do it while FanDuel is advertised on their shows.

This is still an ongoing investigation. But right now, no one's feeling good. Not Rozier and Billups, not the Heat and the Trail Blazers, and not the NBA.

Especially not the NBA.