OKC Thunder vs. Miami Heat, 2019-20 team preview
The major move of the offseason was landing Jimmy Butler which required several teams and a couple of tries. In a weird subplot, the initial deal reported Goran Dragic was headed to Dallas, Josh Richardson to Philly and Butler to Miami. Salary cap issues made this move unfeasible so a second deal surfaced with Kelly Olynyk and Derrick Jones Jr. departing to address the situation and that too fell through.
Finally, a sign and trade deal with the 76ers and the loss of arguably the Heats best player – Josh Richardson moving to Philly got the deal done. The deal required four teams to make it work. The Heat jettisoned Hassan Whiteside to Portland (insert Erik Spolestra dancing a jig at this news) to offload his contract. Meyers Leonard shifted to Miami, Mo Harkless was sent to the Clippers and the Richardson-Butler swap between Philly and Miami.
Besides Butler, there wasn’t a lot of movement except for the assets lost in the trade. However, a big piece landing in Miami came courtesy of the draft when sniper Tyler Herro was selected with the 13th pick. For a team that ranked 22nd in perimeter efficiency Herro is a welcome addition, but his game has many other skills he can add. His ball handling is better than initially reported for example and a quality most young players don’t exude is he is always in constant motion repositioning. That keeps opposing defenses on their toes while also opening the floor for teammates.
The team at TI had our eyes on Herro all year so it wasn’t a surprise he moved up the draft board into the lottery. Obviously, the early signs of the potential for Darius Bazley have offset our disappointment.
Players Added:
Free Agency:
G: Mychal Mulder
F: Kyle Alexander
Trade:
G: Jimmy Butler (trade with 76ers)
C: Meyers Leonard (trade with Blazers)
Rookies:
G: Tyler Herro (No. 13)
F: KZ Okpala (No. 32, via trade with Suns)
Departing Players:
Free Agents:
F: Ryan Anderson (waived)
F: Yante Maten (waived)
Trade:
G: Josh Richardson (traded to 76ers)
C: Hassan Whiteside (traded to Blazers)
Retired:
G: Dwyane Wade