Jalen Rose -- Rick Ross Wants Out of $100k Bet ... I'll Settle for Lobster

Seems Rick Ross is officially off the hook in his $100k NBA bet with Jalen Rose -- with Jalen telling TMZ Sports he's willing to let the whole thing go for some delicious lobster.

You know the bet ... Ross wanted to put up $100k that his LeBron-less Miami Heat would finish the
season with a better record than Bron's new team, the Cleveland Cavs.

Jalen publicly accepted the bet -- going on his Grantland podcast and saying, "You know I'm good for the money, homie."

But according to Jalen, Rick had a change of heart around Xmas time ... with Rose implying that Ross was less-than-impressed with the Heat ... even though they beat the Cavs on Xmas day.

So what happens now? "I think he's gonna take me to get lobster tempura at Prime One Twelve," Jalen says.

FYI -- Lobster Tempura cost around $25 (we called).

Here's the thing ... the Cavs are 19-19. The Heat are 16-21 ... the bet could still go either way.

We'll follow up with Ross and let you know his side.