Heat’s deal for Jimmy Butler has hit a snag. Here’s where things stand
The Heat continues to work to finalize a sign-and-trade transaction to acquire Jimmy Butler from the 76ers, but a deal was not done as of Monday morning and Miami was continuing efforts to shed salary to satisfy NBA salary cap rules.
There’s optimism among all parties that a trade eventually will get done. Former Atlanta Hawks general manager Wes Wilcox said on NBA TV on Monday morning that there’s no doubt the trade will be completed, in his opinion, because Miami is determined to get Butler and because Heat general manager Andy Elisburg is excellent at his job.
But there are hurdles to overcome and only a few teams with enough cap space to absorb salary that Miami would need to shed for the trade to become official. Among those teams: the Lakers and Clippers (who are both awaiting a decision from Kawhi Leonard), Dallas and the Knicks.
According to ESPN’s Bobby Marks, the Clippers entered Monday with $41 million available, the Lakers $32 million, Dallas $29 million and the Knicks $18 million. The Clippers might become an option for a Heat player if they don’t land Leonard, though they don’t need Dragic after re-signing point guard Patrick Beverley.
The teams involved still have time to makes changes to the deal to make it work, with trades unable to become official until the end of the NBA moratorium on Saturday.
First, here’s the part of the trade that was agreed upon Sunday evening: Philadelphia is sending Butler to the Heat. And according to a league source, wing Josh Richardson has been informed the Heat is trading him to the 76ers in exchange for Butler.
But in order to fulfill salary cap requirements, the Heat needs to find a third team to absorb additional salary. That’s where the snag in the deal enters the equation.
There seems to have been a misunderstanding between the Heat and Mavericks.
According to Marc Stein from the New York Times, the Mavericks insist they agreed to become the third team in the Butler sign-and-trade transaction with the belief that they were getting Heat wing Derrick Jones Jr. and big man Kelly Olynyk as part of the deal.
But the Heat doesn’t want to include Jones in the trade and the salary-cap math would fall $1.7 million short of working even if Jones was part of the deal.
Heat point guard Goran Dragic was initially reported to be the player sent to the Mavericks as part of the trade, but that was later refuted.
ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne reported early Monday morning that, out of respect for Dragic, the Heat is working with him and his representatives to find a trade partner to complete the sign-and-trade transaction.
Dragic’s primary agent told The Miami Herald late Sunday night that he hasn’t been looped into trade talks, with the agent adding that there’s been no joint effort with the Heat to find him a new team for Dragic. But that changed Monday morning, and the Heat has conveyed it is willing to work with Dragic’s camp to try to trade him.
Trading Dragic to a third team is one of the cleanest ways to complete the sign-and-trade deal. Dragic is due $19.2 million next season, and including him in the trade fulfills the salary cap requirements to get the transaction done.
Butler, a four-time All-Star, is expected to sign a four-year, $142 million maximum contract with the Heat, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania. He would have a salary of $32.7 million next season if he signs that max deal.
If the Heat cannot move enough money to satisfy NBA cap rules, one option would be Butler taking less than a max contract, though it’s unclear if he would accept that.
On Saturday, the NBA announced the 2019-20 salary cap is $109.14 million and the 2019-20 luxury tax line is $132.627 million.
The Heat doesn’t have cap space, which is why it needed to add Butler through a sign-and-trade deal. Because Miami had to go the sign-and-trade route, Heat will be hard-capped for the rest of the season at the $138.9 million apron once the move is completed. The apron is a figure $6 million among the NBA’s luxury tax threshold.
Butler, 29, is a four-time All-Star and is entering his ninth NBA season. He averaged 18.7 points on 46.2 percent shooting from the field and 34.7 percent shooting on three-pointers, 5.3 rebounds and four assists in 65 regular-season games this past season (10 with the Timberwolves and 55 with the 76ers).
Here’s a candid assessment from one of Butler’s former coaches about what the Heat would be getting with Butler, and more news and notes about Heat free agency.
This story was originally published July 1, 2019 at 9:15 AM.
