The Miami Heat are reportedly finalizing a trade for Jimmy Butler with the Philadelphia 76ers.
According to Adrian Wojnarowski, the two teams began working on a sign and trade for the talented guard once free agency began Sunday night. It’s not known what kind of money is on the table at this moment.
Miami is finalizing a sign-and-trade with Philadelphia to acquire Jimmy Butler, league sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 1, 2019
This would be a huge get for the Heat. They need some star power, and Butler brings that in spades. It also wasn’t a secret that he was on his way out of Philly. (RELATED: Kevin Durant Will Sign With The Brooklyn Nets For $164 Million, Kyrie Irving Will Get $141 Million)
The chatter had been that he might be gunning for Houston, but it looks like that’s officially dead. Butler is bound for South Beach and a Heat uniform.
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This is one of the more surprising decisions in free agency so far. The Heat aren’t really expected to contend with much, and I think most people thought Butler would head somewhere he could play for a ring.
While he certainly boosts the Heat’s profile, they’re still not going to be contending for a title anytime soon.
With Butler on the move to Miami, it also takes one more piece off of the board for potential stars to join LeBron James and the Lakers.
I don’t think there was ever a high chance of him going there, but all stars get mentioned in LeBron speculation these days.
A bit of a surprising twist for sure. Best of luck to Jimmy Butler as he gets to now play in the warm weather of Miami.