I mentioned earlier this week the FBI arrested various people related to the NBA for illegal gambling activities. This is the sort of story that produces drips of evidence – – the story du jour if you will. Here is the latest “dripping”:
- According to ESPN.com and CBSSports.com, Terry Rozier owes the IRS about $8.2M.
- Terry Rozier’s contract for the 2025/2026 NBA season pays him $26.6M fully guaranteed unless he does something truly stupid like getting convicted of gambling on NBA games.
- Over the course of his basketball career, his contractual earnings amount to $160.5M – – according to Spotrac.com.
I understand how some athletes get into financial straits due to bad investment decisions and how other athletes get into financial straits due to being fleeced by unscrupulous agents and representatives. But getting in debt to the IRS to the extent of more than $8M indicates to me either a failure to file a tax return or filing one that was outrageously inaccurate. And the avenue to avoid any of those possibilities is wide open.
Unless the NBPA is completely asleep at the switch, the union provides its members with a vetted list of agents and accountants and others who can provide assistance to players on matters financial. The union “certifies” certain folks of that stripe and I must assume that part of that “certification” is that the financial advisor/assistant does not do things like fail to file tax returns. The current President of the NBPA is Fred Van Vleet who is also an active NBA player – – who happens to be injured at the moment. My point is that Terry Rozier has easy access to the means by which he passes muster with the IRS – – and he managed not to avail himself of said means.
- Unfathomable!
Moving on … I know that World Series is tied at two games apiece as of this morning meaning that the Series will return to Toronto for at least one game on Friday this week. The winner will be decided either Friday or Saturday meaning that the baseball offseason is about to start and it could be the most interesting one in decades. There are some intriguing names on the “free agent list” this winter; teams need to be focused on potential means to improve their position and standing in their divisions. That will mean committing significant dollars to specific players.
At the same time, the extant CBA expires on December 1st, 2025. That means that teams will be considering putting a lot of future expenditure on their books without knowing the structure of the new CBA. And that new CBA might be
- Very different from the current CBA structure – – AND/OR – –
- May only come into existence only after a work stoppage of unknown duration.
Notwithstanding the uncertainty that will overhang this MLB offseason, there are several free agents that ought to garner attention from multiple teams. Here are seven players that I know will be free agents and who I suspect will be sought after commodities once order is restored on the CBA front:
- Pete Alonzo: He signed a 1-year deal for $30M last year; I suspect he will want a long-term deal this time around.
- Shane Bieber: Seems to be fully recovered from his Tommy John surgery in 2024.
- Alex Bregman: Even without the CBA uncertainty, he would probably be a late signer because he is represented by Scott Boras.
- JT Realmuto: His career has peaked – – but he is still a valuable commodity as a reliable defensive catcher.
- Kyle Schwarber: Never hurts to become a free agent after hitting 56 home runs in the previous season.
- Eugenio Suarez: Hitting 49 home runs and driving in 118 runs last year will certainly make a few GMs sit up and take notice.
- Kyle Tucker: Had some injury issues in the last two seasons but he is not yet 30 and is solid in the field as well as productive at the plate.
Switching gears … One of the entrants in the Breeders’ Cup Classic that will happen this Saturday is named “Nevada Beach”. For the record, he is trained by Bob Baffert, and he will be ridden by Mike Smith; his morning line odds were 20-1. I think the name of the horse is a bit strange.
- Nevada is a landlocked state.
- There is lots of sand in Nevada but not a lot of “beach”.
Finally, please heed the conclusion here by Dorothy Parker:
“Razors pain you;
Rivers are damp;
Acids stain you;
And drugs cause cramp.
Guns aren’t lawful;
Nooses give;
Gas smells awful;
You might as well live.”
But don’t get me wrong, I love sports………