NBA Notes: Heat, Terry Rozier, Blazers, Tiago Splitter, Alex Len

Heat

The Heat may have reason to feel misled in the Terry Rozier saga, but recouping compensation from the Hornets appears unlikely, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks, who spoke with Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald.

Miami was never informed that Rozier was under investigation for suspicious betting activity before acquiring him in a January 2024 trade. The Hornets, for their part, have not publicly said whether they were aware of the probe at the time.

“It’s a gray area that I think the league is going to have to look long and hard at,” Marks told Chiang. “When players are being investigated and are part of trade discussions, do they have the authority and morality to disclose that information?

“Because on the other end, legal will say, ‘Well, wait a minute. If we disclose it and the guy is not guilty, then we’ve just harmed the trade.’”

While Marks said Miami’s frustration is justified, he added the team is “highly unlikely” to get its first-round pick back.

The situation is unprecedented for the NBA, which is now reviewing its policies on gambling, injury reporting, and internal communication between teams.

Trail Blazers

Interim coach Tiago Splitter has quietly made history. The former Spurs big man is the first Brazilian-born head coach in NBA history.

Splitter replaced Chauncey Billups, who remains on indefinite leave after being arrested by the FBI following the Blazers’ season opener.

“It’s an honor, to be honest,” Splitter said, via Kurt Helin of NBC Sports. “Coming from Brazil, a soccer country where basketball is growing but not there yet, a lot of people follow me and are proud of this accomplishment.”

The Blazers are 2-1 under Splitter, including a 14-point win over the Lakers on Monday. Deni Avdija has led the team in scoring in all three games.

“He knows how to talk to us. He knows how to prepare us,” Avdija told Mark Medina of RG.org. “His basketball knowledge is very good. Other than that, I don’t want to get into that too much.”

Portland’s ceiling may depend on how far its offense can catch up to its defense. The team has shot just 33.8 percent from three so far, though Jrue Holiday remains optimistic.

“I think our offense will definitely catch up to our defense,” Holiday said. “There’s been times where we get stagnant, but it’s because we’re playing so hard defensively. I really enjoy the way we move the ball and get each other involved.”

International

Veteran center Alex Len has agreed to a multiyear deal with Real Madrid, per Michael Scotto of HoopsHype.

Len, 31, was the fifth pick in the 2013 draft and has averaged 6.7 points and 5.3 rebounds over 12 NBA seasons with the Suns, Hawks, Kings, Raptors, Wizards, and Lakers.