PHILADELPHIA, PA - NOVEMBER 16: Jimmy Butler #23 of the Philadelphia 76ers looks on against the Utah Jazz at the Wells Fargo Center on November 16, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)After a big year with the Philadelphia 76ers, forward Jimmy Butler decided to test the free agency market and has quickly found a new home. On Monday, the deal was finalized for Butler to take his talents to South Beach.
ESPN NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski reported the details of a four-team sign-and-trade that will send Jimmy Butler to the Miami Heat. The deal sends Maurice Harkless from Portland to the Los Angeles Clippers along with a Miami first-round pick, while the 76ers get Miami guard Josh Richardson.
Butler joins the Heat after a short but successful partial year with the 76ers. In 55 appearances for Philadelphia, he averaged 18.2 points per game, 5.3 rebounds per game and 4.0 assists per game.
He’ll be getting a max deal as well with Wojnarowski reporting that Butler has signed a four-year, $142 million contract.
Jimmy Butler deal is complete with Heat — with Clippers added as a fourth-team in trade that also includes Philadelphia and Portland, league sources tell @ZachLowe_NBA and me.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 1, 2019
Miami is also sending a future first-round pick to the Clippers, league sources tell ESPN. https://t.co/q4cip3sR0X
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 1, 2019
The Sixers get Miami's Josh Richardson in the deal, too. And … Jimmy Butler gets his four-year, $142M max deal.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 1, 2019
So the Clippers get a future first-round pick to take on Harkless, who is another starting level forward with significant playoff experience to surround — potentially — Kawhi Leonard.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 1, 2019
Butler was a mid-season acquisition by the 76ers after starting 10 games for the Minnesota Timberwolves in his second year with the team.
The Heat finished the 2018-19 season with a 39-43 record, missing the playoffs for the third time in five years.
The deal for Butler also leaves Kawhi Leonard standing as the only big-name free agent left on the market who hasn’t yet signed or announced his 2019-20 team yet.
