Jimmy Butler is headed to the Miami Heat in a four-team deal that involves the Heat, Philadelphia 76ers, LA Clippers and Portland Trail Blazers. The trade, which was first reported by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, was later reported by multiple media outlets.
The deal reportedly will send Hassan Whiteside to the Trail Blazers, Josh Richardson to the Sixers, Maurice Harkless and a future first-round pick to the Clippers, and Meyers Leonard to the Heat.
It is reported that Butler met with Miami as soon as free agency opened on Sunday, indicating his desire to join the Heat. He is anticipated to sign a deal worth $142 million over four years.
A day after agreeing to the structure of a deal that will also see Jimmy Butler join the Heat through a trade with Philadelphia, Miami finalized the deal. The specifics of that trade were still under negotiation on Monday.
Last season, Whiteside averaged 12.3 points and led his team with 11.3 rebounds. He played in 72 games, starting 53 of them. Despite only averaging 23 minutes per game, he occasionally voiced his dissatisfaction about not having a more significant role.
However, he anticipates that he will have an opportunity to start immediately with Portland.
Over the course of seven seasons with Miami and Sacramento, Whiteside has averaged 13.4 points and 11.4 rebounds in his career. He was the NBA leader in blocks per game in the 2015-16 season and topped the league in rebounds per game in the subsequent season.
Last season, Harkless had an average of 7.7 points for the Blazers.
In Portland’s last game of the previous season, Leonard scored 30 points. This was the game where the Trail Blazers were eliminated from the Western Conference finals by the Golden State Warriors. Leonard’s average score for that season was 5.9 points, and he has played for Portland during his first seven seasons in the NBA.
The contracts of all three players involved in the Miami-Portland trade are set to expire this season.
Following a November trade from the Minnesota Timberwolves, which ended one of the most prolonged sagas of 2018, Butler became an essential part of the Philadelphia 76ers’ rise to the upper echelons of the Eastern Conference. He consistently made crucial shots, kept the offense well-paced, and provided exceptional defense.
During his 55 games with the 76ers, Butler had an average of 18.7 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4.0 assists, and 1.9 steals, with an overall shooting percentage of 46.7 and a 3-point range percentage of 34.7. His average points fell below 20 for the first time since the 2014-15 season, a change that occurred after Tobias Harris joined the already strong starting lineup in Philadelphia post-deadline.
Often, during key moments, Butler ended up with the ball both at the start and end of a play. A four-time All-Star and four-time All-Defensive Second Team member in his eight seasons, Butler’s dual-threat capabilities have been greatly respected. However, his constant intensity has sometimes resulted in notorious outbursts. Most memorably, Butler’s debut practice session for the Timberwolves last season sparked a frenzy on NBA Twitter, with minute-by-minute updates on scrimmage victories and devastating trash talk.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
