Jimmy Butler is hoping to take his talents to South Beach, but the trade between the Philadelphia 76ers and Miami Heat has become a mess.
Now, the Heat are attempting to find another trade partner as they hope to salvage the deal.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported on Sunday night that the Miami Heat were finalizing a sign-and-trade deal with the Philadelphia 76ers for Butler.
In a sign-and-trade deal, Butler would sign a contract with the 76ers and then be traded to the Heat in exchange for Josh Richardson.
Butler was set to sign a four-year, $142 maximum contract, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic.
Tim Cato of The Athletic reported that the Dallas Mavericks were recruited into this deal to take on contracts, and the team believed that they would receive Kelly Olynyk and Derrick Jones Jr. However, the Heat believed that they were sending Goran Dragic to the Mavericks and not Jones.
How the two teams managed to confuse Jones for Dragic in a deal is perplexing.
According to ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne, the Heat are “working on options to complete the Jimmy Butler sign and trade with Philadelphia,” and they’re working with Dragic and his team to find another trade partner.
Butler has his sights set on the Heat, and the two teams are determined to get a deal done, according to Marc Stein of The New York Times. It appears that a deal should get done once the Heat find a team willing to take on Dragic’s contract.
Update: According to Wojnarowski, the deal has been finalized. Butler will still be going to the Heat, while Richardson will be going to the 76ers. However, the Portland Trail Blazers and Los Angeles Clippers were brought in to help facilitate the deal. Hassan Whiteside was traded to the Trail Blazers in exchange for Moe Harkless and Meyers Leonard, and Harkless was sent along with a protected 2023 first-round pick to the Clippers.
