Heat gets an unannounced carrot in Memphis trade. And a Butler/Herro update
A six-pack of Heat notes on a Monday:
▪The Heat not only received Andre Iguodala, Jae Crowder, Solomon Hill and substantial 2020-21 salary cap relief in its trade with Memphis last Thursday.
It also picked up a $7.5 million trade exception that could prove valuable at some point in the next year.
Under rules of the exception, the Heat can absorb a player earning as much as $7.5 million without sending any players back. The exception cannot be aggregated with another player and can be used until Feb. 6, 2021.
Though many trade exceptions around the league go unused, there is a scenario where this exception could have some value:
Say a player signs with a team on a salary cap exception - or any other way - this summer but that team finds itself out of playoff contention by next year’s trade deadline. Rather than simply buying out or releasing that player, that team deals the player to a Heat for a future second-round pick, provided he’s earning no more than $7.5 million.
The chances of the Heat using that exception would also increase if Miami enters the season with at least $8 million in space below the $139 million luxury tax threshold.
▪ The Heat upgraded Jimmy Butler to questionable for Monday’s game at Golden State but ruled Tyler Herro out for the game.
Butler hopes to avoid missing his third consecutive game with a shoulder injury, while Herro will miss his fourth straight with an ankle injury. And center Meyers Leonard remains back in South Florida with a sprained ankle.
▪ The Heat sent forward KZ Okpala back to its G-League team in South Dakota for more seasoning. Miami has the right to do that even though Okpala isn’t on a two-way contract.
Acquired by the Heat on draft night, the rookie second-round pick has seven points in 26 minutes over five games for the Heat this season.
▪ What was the justification for that bizarre five-point swing in the final second of the third quarter of Sunday’s loss at Portland?
It began when Goran Dragic attempted a three-pointer and Damian Lillard was called for a foul. Portland coach Terry Stotts challenged the call.
“After replay review, we saw that Damian Lillard got to the basketball; it was a legal block,” referee Ed Malloy said. “While Lillard was going to jump to the side of Goran Dragic, Dragic extended his right leg, initiating the contact with Lillard. That is why [the challenge] was successful.”
To make matters worse for Miami, the call was changed to a loose ball foul on Dragic, meaning Lillard got two free throws on the other end, which he converted to give Portland a 10-point lead after three.
“By rule, when the defense deflects the ball, the status of the ball becomes loose,” Malloy said. “After the clean block by Lillard, the ball was loose. Then Dragic extended his right leg, causing the illegal contact with Lillard. There, it was a loose ball foul.”
▪ Remember how Hassan Whiteside irritated some Heat fans when he posted a video - after his trade to Portland - saying “We got shooters?”
During Sunday night’s postgame interview with Lillard, Whiteside came up behind him and interjected “We got shooters!”
“I love this group,” Whiteside said.
But this time, Whiteside was careful to tell reporters that the Heat “have shooters too and they’ve been knocking them down all season. Duncan Robinson is a really good shooter. Goran Dragic… is a really good shooter.”
▪ Before the game against the Heat at Chase Center on Monday night, the Warriors plan to honor Andre Iguodala with a video tribute for his contributions to their five NBA Finals appearances. Injured guards Steph Curry or Klay Thompson also were expected to address the crowd.
“I’m going to flagrant foul him, flagrant 2, as soon as I get a chance,” Warriors forward Draymond Green joked with Warriors reporters on Monday morning. “We shared so many good times together. My favorite moment for him was when he won Finals MVP.”
Blazers coach Terry Stotts said in Iguodala, “I see an experienced, winning player. A very good wing defender. He complements the Miami roster very well, with the versatility he has at both ends. He found his niche as a versatile player at both ends of the floor when he went to Golden State.”
Here’s my Monday piece on Iguodala and Jae Crowder, with Iguodala explaining why his “sabbatical” was good for him and Crowder explaining why he played much better in his Heat debut than his averages suggested how he played in Memphis.
Here’s my UM 6-pack from Monday, with lots from Manny Diaz.
This story was originally published February 10, 2020 at 5:39 PM.
