Grizzlies Trade Jaren Jackson Jr. To Jazz
6:06pm: The trade is official, according to a press release from the Jazz.
12:44pm: The Grizzlies and Jazz have agreed to a blockbuster trade, according to Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link), who reports that former Defensive Player of the Year Jaren Jackson Jr. is heading to Utah along with wings John Konchar and Vince Williams Jr. and center Jock Landale.
In exchange, Memphis will acquire guard Walter Clayton, swingman Kyle Anderson, forwards Taylor Hendricks and Georges Niang, and three future first-round picks, sources tell Charania.
Those three first-rounders headed to the Grizzlies are the Lakers’ 2027 pick (top-four protected), either the Cavaliers’, Timberwolves’, or Jazz’s own 2027 pick (whichever is most favorable), and the Suns’ 2031 pick (unprotected), reports Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Twitter link).
It’s a shocking move for a couple reasons. For one, multiple reports ahead of Thursday’s trade deadline suggested that Memphis had no interest in moving Jackson and hoped to hang onto – and build around – the big man going forward.
Additionally, while there were multiple teams said to be inquiring on Jackson’s availability in the hopes that the Grizzlies changed their mind, there was no indication that the Jazz were among them or that they’d be looking to use their stash of future draft picks to make this sort of move this week. Entering Tuesday’s games, Utah holds a 15-35 record, which is the sixth-worst mark in the NBA.
However, the move for Jackson suggests first-year president of basketball operations Austin Ainge and the Jazz are preparing to take a step forward next season. League sources tell Tony Jones of The Athletic (Twitter link) that the team doesn’t plan to trade forward Lauri Markkanen and still wants to re-sign center Walker Kessler in restricted free agency this summer. Utah envisions a frontcourt made up of Markkanen, Jackson, and Kessler, Jones explains.
Third-year guard Keyonte George and 2025 lottery pick Ace Bailey are among the other long-term building blocks in Utah, where the Jazz still control at least one first-round pick in every future draft, starting in 2026. Notably, that 2026 first-rounder will be sent to Oklahoma City if it lands outside the top eight — the Jazz are still in a fairly strong position to hang onto it, since there’s a 4.5-game gap between them and the NBA’s seventh- and eighth-worst teams (the 18-29 Bucks and 19-30 Mavericks).
As for the Grizzlies, we’d heard for weeks that they were open to trading two-time All-Star Ja Morant, but it wasn’t clear whether they intended to retool around Jackson or fully rebuild around a younger core headlined by Cedric Coward, Zach Edey, and Jaylen Wells. Now we have our answer.
While Clayton and Hendricks are just 22 years old and could carve out places in the Grizzlies’ long-term plans, the return for Jackson is primarily about adding three more first-round picks to an ever-growing collection of draft assets and creating additional cap flexibility in the present and future. The Grizzlies now control 12 first-rounders in the next seven drafts, notes Yossi Gozlan of The Third Apron (Twitter link).
Jackson renegotiated and extended his contract with Memphis last offseason and will earn $205MM over the next four years after this one. He’s the only player of the eight involved in this trade who is owed guaranteed money beyond next season, and taking on his long-term deal will likely eliminate Utah’s cap room this summer.
In terms of 2025/26 money, Utah will be taking advantage of its significant breathing room below the luxury tax line by increasing its payroll by more than $18MM — the Jazz are sending out a combined $27.5MM in salary and taking back roughly $45.8MM.
As Gozlan tweets, the Jazz will use their four outgoing players to legally match Jackson’s $35MM cap hit, then take the other three incoming players into existing traded player exceptions (or a portion of their mid-level, if they prefer to preserve their bigger TPE).
Memphis, meanwhile, will create a record-setting trade exception worth nearly $28.9MM, per ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Twitter link).
Northwest Notes: McDaniels, Thunder, Jazz, Conley
Jaden McDaniels‘ name has popped up in rumors surrounding the Timberwolves‘ pursuit of Giannis Antetokounmpo, but on Thursday night’s win over the Thunder, he showed just how valuable he is to Minnesota in his own right, writes Jon Krawczynski for The Athletic.
The sixth-year wing is averaging career-highs in points (14.9) and assists (2.9) per game, as well as three-point percentage (44.5%), free throw attempts per game (2.5) and free throw percentage (84.9%). He has also missed just two games this season after playing all 82 last year, and has only made fewer than 70 appearances once in his career (in a COVID-shortened season).
Most importantly, McDaniels has the support of the team around him.
“He’s my favorite player in the league,” star Anthony Edwards said about him. “I love everything about Jaden, everything that he does on the court, defensively, offensively, for us as a team, on the bench, he’s always cheering his teammates on no matter how the game goes for him.”
Both Edwards and head coach Chris Finch have discussed how hard he grinds to fix the holes in his game and the business-like approach he takes to his career.
“He’s an incredible worker,” Finch said. “He’s like a machine every day.”
Krawczynski writes that any Antetokounmpo deal for the Wolves would likely require McDaniels to be moved, either to the Bucks or to a third team, but should no deal come to pass, McDaniels has become the piece the Wolves need him to be at exactly the right time.
We have more from the Northwest Division:
- The Thunder are unlikely to make a major shake-up move at the trade deadline, with most reports indicating that 22-year-old wing Ousmane Dieng is the most likely player on the team to be moved. That said, the team could still use some frontcourt insurance depth, especially with Isaiah Hartenstein in and out of the lineup with injuries, Rylan Stiles writes for Sports Illustrated. In his breakdown of seven potential trade targets, Stiles primarily focuses on depth big men who are unlikely to be overly coveted by their team. Kevin Love (Jazz), Nick Richards (Suns), Bobby Portis (Bucks), and Jock Landale (Grizzlies) are three veterans he believes could be acquired for little more than Dieng and second-round picks, of which the team is loaded. He also looks at the Nets‘ Day’Ron Sharpe, a productive per-minute big man whom Stiles notes could fit into Oklahoma City’s non-taxpayer mid-level exception before the club decides what to do with his team option in the summer. As a more ambitious target, Stiles notes that Trey Murphy III (Pelicans) would make an excellent stylistic fit, but the cost to acquire him would likely be more than the Thunder are willing to pay in-season.
- The Jazz are also not expected to make any major moves by the deadline, Andy Larson writes for the Salt Lake City Tribune. Notably, that means that unless Utah is blown away by a godfather offer, Lauri Markkanen is expected to remain a part of the team’s core moving forward. While Jusuf Nurkic was considered a clear trade candidate coming into the year, his solid play within coach Will Hardy‘s system has the team trying to figure out how he can fit into the team’s outlook moving forward rather than gauging what they can get for him in a deal, Larson reports. Nurkic is averaging a career-high 5.0 assists per game, along with his 11.2 points per game, his best mark since the 2022/23 season. Larson notes that Love and Kyle Anderson could be moved in deals, as both have been in and out of the rotation, and that rather than acting as sellers, the Jazz could be in a position to take bad money in order to add more assets to their substantial draft pick collection. He lists D’Angelo Russell of the Mavericks and Maxi Kleber of the Lakers as two such players they could receive draft compensation to take on.
- Timberwolves point guard Mike Conley wants to keep playing past this season, but doesn’t know if he’ll be able to do so, according to Dane Moore (Twitter video link). “Honestly, every game I play from here on out I think about, ‘Is this my last game?‘” Conley said. “I know I want to play more years, but you just never know how things work… I’m just gonna go out there and have fun and not take things for granted.“
Afseth’s Latest: Spurs, Giannis, J. Johnson, Jazz, Bey
The Spurs have flashed tantalizing potential this season with a 21-7 start and a run to the NBA Cup championship game, but league sources who spoke to Grant Afseth of Dallas Hoops Journal don’t expect San Antonio to make the sort of significant in-season trade that would compromise the club’s future flexibility.
“They’re not going to sit around being satisfied, but I don’t see them making a move like trading for Giannis (Antetokounmpo),” a source told Afseth. “There are more reasonable options out there. They can be patient and opportunistic.”
According to Afseth, the expectation is that the Spurs will focus on internal growth of their young core this season while preserving their most valuable long-term assets. Still, he says some rival teams have wondered whether San Antonio would be willing to sacrifice some of those assets for another high-level role player who would complement the current group.
“They have the assets to make a trade like Orlando did to add Desmond Bane,” a source said. “It’d have to be someone that fits their timeline. Someone like a Trey Murphy III, for example, could be a strong fit.”
Here are a few more items of interest from Afseth’s latest round-up:
- If Antetokounmpo is made available this season, many of the top suitors for the Bucks star are expected to be Eastern Conference clubs, says Afseth. That group includes the Heat, Knicks, Hawks, and Raptors, though rival executives are skeptical that New York would want to break up its roster during the season and Atlanta isn’t expected to make forward Jalen Johnson available, Afseth notes.
- While both Afseth and Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link) say that hanging onto their top-eight protected 2026 first-round pick is a priority for the Jazz, Fischer writes that Utah also wants to “establish a winning environment” sooner rather than later. Lauri Markkanen and Keyonte George – along with 2026 restricted free agent Walker Kessler – are viewed as cornerstones for the Jazz, with Kyle Anderson, Jusuf Nurkic, Kevin Love, and Georges Niang considered potential in-season trade candidates, per Afseth. Afseth adds that both management and ownership have confidence that Will Hardy is the right head coach to guide the team out of its rebuilding stage.
- Pelicans forward Saddiq Bey is increasingly piquing the interest of teams in need of help on the wing, according to Afseth, who published a full story on Sunday examining Bey’s return to action this season following a torn ACL. The 26-year-old is averaging 15.0 points and 6.1 rebounds in 29.5 minutes per game through 29 outings (21 starts) for New Orleans.
Injury Notes: Jazz, Williams, Sheppard, Furphy
The Jazz are getting closer to full health, tweets Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune. According to Larsen, Lauri Markkanen, Walker Kessler, and Kyle Filipowski, who missed the start of training camp due to lower back, left shoulder, and left wrist injuries, respectively, were full participants in practice on Sunday.
The three big men were unavailable for Utah’s opening two preseason matchups, but are gearing up for their returns. Markkanen previously stated that while his injury was minor, he wasn’t sure of his exact timetable for return.
Larsen also notes that Kyle Anderson, who played at least 14 minutes in each of the opening preseason games, was not able to suit up for practice due to right knee tendinitis.
We have more injury notes from around the league:
- Vince Williams Jr. missed the Grizzlies‘ game against the Hawks on Friday night, but according to head coach Tuomas Iisalo, his absence wasn’t a cause for concern. Iisalo said the decision was made because of “small precautions,” according to Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal (via Twitter), and added that it was “nothing serious at this moment.”
- Ben Sheppard has been absent from each of the Pacers‘ two preseason games so far and is doubtful for Monday’s upcoming tilt against the Spurs, reports Dustin Dopirak of the Indianapolis Star (Twitter link). According to coach Rick Carlisle, Sheppard is still working his way back to being a full practice participant. The Pacers are very light on healthy guards at the moment; in addition to Tyrese Haliburton, Indiana is already missing T.J. McConnell, who will be out at least a month with a hamstring injury, as well as 2025 draft pick Kam Jones, who is sidelined due to a back injury.
- Pacers sophomore Johnny Furphy is joining Sheppard on the injury report after he sprained his left ankle in Saturday’s contest with the Thunder, Dopirak writes. Furphy’s recovery timeline has not been reported yet, nor has the severity of the sprain.
Norman Powell To Heat, John Collins To Clippers In Three-Team Trade
4:21 pm: The three-team trade is official, according to a press release from the Jazz.
9:27 am: The Clippers, Jazz and Heat have reached an agreement on a three-team trade, sources tell Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link). The deal will send Norman Powell to Miami, John Collins to L.A. and Kevin Love, Kyle Anderson and a 2027 Clippers second-round pick to Utah.
Powell is coming off the best scoring season of his career and will bring more offensive punch to Miami’s backcourt. After finishing fourth in the Sixth Man of the Year balloting in consecutive seasons, Powell was moved into the starting lineup and responded by averaging 21.8 points per game while shooting 48.4% from the field and 41.8% from three-point range.
Powell, 32, will make $20.5MM next season before becoming a free agent in 2026. He’s eligible for a three-year extension worth $77.4MM. Those limits would increase to $128.5MM over four years in six months.
The Clippers were reluctant to give Powell a long-term extension, sources tell Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link). With Kawhi Leonard and James Harden both signed through 2026/27, the team is preserving cap space for 2027 free agency.
Miami will use the expanded traded player exception to acquire Powell, Bobby Marks of ESPN notes (Twitter link), hard-capping them at the first tax apron, and will be $1.3MM over the luxury tax line once the deal is complete.
Miami will be just $3.9MM away from that first-apron threshold once the trade is complete, so it won’t be able to use the full taxpayer mid-level exception of $5.7MM, according to cap expert Yossi Gozlan (Twitter link), who also speculates that acquiring Powell means the team is probably no longer a logical fit for Bradley Beal, who is believed to be nearing a buyout with Phoenix.
Collins, 27, will bring more frontcourt depth to a Clippers team that recently added Brook Lopez in free agency. Collins has been a starter in Utah since being acquired from Atlanta two years ago, but he was limited to 40 games last season. He has one year left on his contract at $26.6MM and can sign an extension worth up to $100.5MM over three years, per Marks. While a massive payday is unlikely for Collins, it’s worth noting those extension limits would increase six months after the trade to $166.7MM over four years.
L.A. is now $6.7MM below the first apron with $5.3MM of its mid-level exception remaining, according to Gozlan (Twitter link). With their top three-point shooter now gone, Gozlan expects the Clippers to be in the market for Beal.
Anderson, 31, has been a useful contributor on contending teams throughout his career, but it’s not clear how he fits in with the rebuilding Jazz. His contract covers two more seasons at $9.2MM and $9.7MM, but 2026/27 is non-guaranteed. Love, who’ll turn 37 in September, has a $4.15MM expiring deal and will likely become a buyout candidate.
Gozlan notes that Utah can create a $26.6MM trade exception by using the mid-level exception to take on Anderson and Love (Twitter link). Alternatively, the Jazz could create roughly $22MM in cap space by waiving the non-guaranteed contracts of KJ Martin ($8MM) and Jaden Springer ($2.4MM) and could be in position to make a play for one of the remaining free agents.
It sounds like Utah will continue operating over the cap, going the trade exception route, tweets Marks.
Heat Notes: Ware, Larsson, Anderson, Jaquez
The Heat suffered through a rare losing season in 2024/25, but they were encouraged by the progress made by rookies Kel’el Ware and Pelle Larsson, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. Both players saw little action early in the year, but worked their way up to regular minutes by the playoffs.
Chiang notes that Ware, the 15th pick in last year’s draft, only logged double-digit minutes in two of the first 25 games, but became a consistent starter in January. He averaged 10.7 points, 9.7 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.2 blocks over his final 38 games of the season, finishing sixth in the Rookie of the Year voting and earning a spot on the All-Rookie second team. Although Ware struggled against Cleveland in the playoffs, he said the experience of battling Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley in a high-stakes situation will benefit him in the future.
“Just learning how the game was played,” Ware said. “It’s different from the regular season. Even the play-in games are different. So I would say now I have the experience of that. So just knowing what it is and how it will be next time.”
Larsson, the 44th pick last year, lived up to coach Erik Spoelstra‘s prediction that he could be an “elite role player,” Chiang adds. He ended the season strong as his playing time increased, averaging 10.5 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.2 steals in his final six regular season games.
“I think going into the season, I really had no expectations,” Larsson said. “I kind of just went in with an open mindset. And I got into some good rhythm, had some injuries that kind of set me back a few times and tried to regain that rhythm. But I think just having a year under my belt kind of just helps me calm down a little bit and realize what’s more important than other things, and that’s what I can focus my work on.”
There’s more on the Heat:
- Kyle Anderson credits Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro for making him feel welcome in Miami after he was acquired from Golden State in February’s five-team Jimmy Butler trade, per Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel. It was the first in-season trade Anderson has experienced in his 11 NBA seasons. “Bam was awesome, Bam and Tyler. The leaders of this team bring their hard hats to work every day. They’re great teammates. They really care about you,” Anderson said. “I’m not just saying that ’cause it’s cliche and I’m supposed to. Those guys are really fun to be around. They really care about everybody. And they know that they have the team on their back.” Winderman suggests that Anderson would be an appealing trade asset because his $9.7MM salary for 2026/27 is non-guaranteed, so there’s a chance he won’t be with the team next season.
- In a recent Sun Sentinel mailbag, Winderman considers whether it would make sense for the Heat to include Ware in a trade offer for Kevin Durant this summer and concludes it’s worth considering.
- Chiang of The Miami Herald explores what’s next for Jaime Jaquez after the forward endured a second season that he described during his exit interview as “extremely humbling.” The fourth-place finisher in Rookie of the Year voting in 2023/24, Jaquez saw his playing time drop off significantly in year two as his shooting percentages dipped across the board. “I think the mental part of the game is almost more important than the physical,” Jaquez said. “That’s something that I’ve learned this year. You have to be mentally sharp at all times and never have any lapses. Because the second that that happens, teams are taking advantage. So that was one of my biggest lessons this year. So taking that into this offseason, it’s something I’m going to work on extremely hard. I’m looking forward to just learning and getting better.”
Luke Adams contributed to this article.
Heat Notes: Jaquez, Elimination, Herro, Adebayo, Anderson
Jaime Jaquez Jr.‘s second NBA season hasn’t gone as smoothly as his rookie campaign. Jaquez has been out of the Heat‘s rotation in their playoff series against Cleveland after getting steady playing time last season.
“Obviously, it’s frustrating as a competitor,” Jaquez told Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald. “As a player, you want to be in the game playing. But seasons come with ups and downs. I think more than anything, you take it as a learning experience. It will help you grow as a player and as a person to go through adversity like this. If you make it out to the other side, then you’re going to see what you become.”
Jaquez averaged 8.6 points per game this season on a lower shooting percentage than last season, when he averaged 11.9 PPG and made 48.9 percent of his attempts.
“There’s going to be struggles throughout your career,” he said. “You don’t want to shy away from those. Obviously, there have been a lot of ups and downs with some bad luck with some illnesses and then obviously getting hurt. But I think it’s given me a great opportunity to just learn, learn a lot about myself and about the game and take this time to just continue to work on my craft, work on my routine and continue to get better as a professional.”
Here’s more on the Heat:
- They’re facing elimination tonight and staring at a 3-0 deficit in the series. NBA teams are 0-158 in playoff series after falling behind 3-0, Chiang notes. “This is our reality right now. But like I told the guys, it’s not time to let go of the rope,” guard Tyler Herro said. “We’re going to play until the final buzzer, whether that’s next game, Game 5, 6, 7 or another series after this. We just got to keep playing. That’s what we’re paid to do and that’s who we are as an organization. We want to compete and we’re not going out 4-0.”
- Herro pumped in 33 points in Game 2 but was held to 13 points in Game 3, as the Cavaliers limited him to a series-low 46 touches, according to Chiang. “I’m coming off and they’re not allowing me to get any handoffs or coming off pindowns or anything like that,” he said. “Just pretty much face-guarding me and guiding me into the corner.” Herro and his teammates will have to find counters for that strategy if they want to extend the series.
- Bam Adebayo has become more comfortable attempting three-pointers this season and that’s reflected in the volume of his long-range shots through the first three playoff games. He has taken 17 and made six. “He has good balance about it, of being rugged and aggressive at the rim and in the pant, because we need that as well … he’s a very good shooter,” coach Erik Spoelstra told Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel.
- Kyle Anderson was added to the injury report for Monday’s game due to an illness, Chiang tweets. However, he is available, Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press tweets. Anderson has only seen the floor for six minutes during the series.
Southeast Notes: Rozier, Mitchell, Heat, Johnson, Magic
Heat guard Terry Rozier admits it’s been a rough season but he doesn’t want to be a distraction, Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald writes. Rozier didn’t get off the bench in the play-in tournament, except to cheer for his teammates, including his de facto replacement, midseason trade acquisition Davion Mitchell.
“I don’t carry bad energy with me,” said Rozier, who has one year and $26.6MM remaining on his contract. “I’m not a hater. How he’s playing, Davion, I think we’re all excited to see that. So I don’t carry bad energy with me and I love to see it.
“Even if I’m not playing, we still got to get in the playoffs and give ourselves another chance to be able to enjoy that dance at the end,” Rozier added. “I’m just happy to be a part of the process, even if I’m not playing. You never know, I could play in Game 2, 3 or 4. I know how that stuff works. Just making sure I’m staying ready. And definitely me being positive, me being a good teammate, I’m never going to change.”
We have more from the Southeast Division:
- Speaking of Mitchell, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra is happy with the way the fourth-year guard and two other major in-season acquisitions, Kyle Anderson and Andrew Wiggins, have meshed with their new teammates. “They’ve fit in very well because they want to make it work,” Spoelstra said, per Chiang. “They’re winning players, winning personalities. They each bring something a little bit different, which are things that we needed. “Davion has that defensive presence and his toughness and his passion. We love the passion that he brings to the game. Wiggs is just a very good basketball player. The things that he does lead to winning because he plays both sides of the floor. He takes pride in doing that and doing it at a high level. And then Kyle, it just takes awhile to get accustomed to how he plays.”
- Jalen Johnson couldn’t help the Hawks during the second half of the season after suffering a torn labrum in his left shoulder. He hopes to be at full strength by next season’s opener. “That’s probably the worst feeling in the world, just not being able to be out there and go out to war with my guys,” Johnson told Lauren Williams of the Atlanta Journal Constitution. “It sucks, but sometimes you can’t control those things, and all I can do now is just do everything in my power for next year and play the whole season. That’s my goal, and I’m gonna do everything I can so I can be out there in those type of games with my teammates.”
- Paolo Banchero racked up 36 points on Sunday but it wasn’t enough in a 103-86 loss to Boston in Game 1 of the Magic’s first-round series. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown were held to a combined 33 points but Derrick White poured in 30 and Payton Pritchard tossed in 19. “That’s something that we as a team harped on coming in that they do have two main guys but it’s really the other guys that kill you,” Banchero said, per Jason Beede of the Orlando Sentinel (Twitter link). “I just think we have to do a better job getting those guys off the line because they really kill you from 3.”
Heat Notes: Anderson, Jovic, Herro, Larsson
Kyle Anderson and the Heat are both happy that he wound up in Miami as part of the Jimmy Butler trade in February, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. Anderson was originally slated to go to Toronto in the complex five-team deal, but that arrangement fell through and Golden State shipped him to the Heat instead. Coach Erik Spoelstra is glad to have him, as he told reporters before tonight’s game at Chicago.
“I just can’t say enough about Kyle,” Spoelstra said. “Kyle is a winning basketball player. He really is. He’s an unorthodox player, so you have to view him differently. His skill set is not a traditional skill set. But if you can embrace what he does, he can unlock a lot of different strengths out of our team. I just love what he brings. He’s a competitor. I think above anything else, he competes and winning really matters to him. He competes on both ends. He’s a two-way basketball player and he does a lot of different things that impact the game.”
The move has beneficial for Anderson, who wasn’t seeing regular playing time with the Warriors. He has helped to fill a need with Nikola Jovic sidelined since late February due to a broken right hand, and Chiang notes that he has played at least 20 minutes off the bench in seven of Miami’s last eight games. During that stretch, the Heat are outscoring teams by 23.8 points per 100 possessions with Anderson on the court.
“Kyle is giving us something different,” Spoelstra added. “He’s a point guard. So he can set the table, he can control tempo, he can control and manipulate the defense. He can do it from the point guard position, he can do it from the low post. He just has a knack for those kind of plays and nuances. And we want to lean into that. Because it seems like a good fit right now with that second unit for him to be able to just kind of manipulate and orchestrate with his experience and IQ.”
There’s more on the Heat:
- Jovic is making progress with his recovery and is traveling with the team, but Spoelstra isn’t sure if he’ll be able to play again this season, Chiang states in a separate story. “I don’t know yet,” Spoelstra told reporters. “He’s basically doing everything. It’s just whether his hand can take contact.”
- The Heat are promoting Tyler Herro on social media for the Most Improved Player award, according to Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel. The sixth-year shooting guard is having his most productive offensive season, averaging career highs of 23.8 points and 5.5 assists per game. “His maturity offensively and his role for our team has grown the last couple of months,” Spoelstra said. “And that’s due to all these pressure situations that we’ve been in, where everything just feels heightened and where we had injuries and he had to play a different way for us to be successful. He’s just more patient. He’s allowing the game to happen. His skill set can just take advantage of those situations.”
- Rookie guard Pelle Larsson was forced to miss tonight’s game after spraining his ankle while lifting weights, per Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press (Twitter link).
Jimmy Butler Views Return To Miami As ‘Another Game’
Jimmy Butler doesn’t want his return to Miami on Tuesday to be a dramatic event for him or his team, according to Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN.
Butler, who repeatedly clashed with Heat officials before being traded to the Warriors at last month’s deadline, said he views it as just “another game.” It’s an experience he’s been through several times already after leaving the Bulls, Timberwolves and Sixers.
“Yeah, I was traded from there, yada, yada, yada,” Butler said after Saturday’s loss in Atlanta. “Yeah, it didn’t end the way that people wanted to, yada yada yada. But that’s so far behind me now. I don’t even think about it. I don’t pay attention to nothing except for the trajectory of this squad.”
It was a little more than six weeks ago that the Heat were trying to find their way out of a toxic situation with Butler. He was suspended three times this season — the last one being indefinite — as they searched for someone to take him off their hands. Phoenix was his preferred destination, but Miami couldn’t work out a deal without taking back Bradley Beal in return. The Warriors became a late option after their efforts to land Kevin Durant from the Suns fell through.
The teams have been on much different paths since the trade was completed. Golden State has surged to sixth place in the West, holding a 16-4 record since acquiring Butler. Miami, which is on a 10-game losing streak, has gone 4-17 while falling to 10th in the East.
Butler can probably expect a mixed response from what’s sure to be a boisterous crowd at the Kaseya Center. Although fans might blame him for destroying this season, he’s still beloved for helping the Heat reach the NBA Finals twice in his five and a half seasons with the team.
“Not really, don’t make no difference,” Butler responded when asked if he has any concerns about how fans will react. “I’m a member of the Golden State Warriors. I love that fan base. They showed me a lot of love while I was there. But I’m there to win now. I’m on the opposing team.”
He added that the Heat were “all right” while he played there and made some “cool runs,” but they weren’t able to accomplish their goal of winning an NBA title.
Tuesday’s game will also be a reunion for ex-Warriors Andrew Wiggins and Kyle Anderson, who were sent to Miami in the five-team deal. Wiggins spent five years with Golden State and played an important role in winning the 2022 title. Anderson was in his first season with the Warriors after being traded there in July.
“We got Jimmy over here, I know this is a big game for him,” Draymond Green said. “They got Wiggs over there. I know it’s a huge game for him. We want to win for Jimmy, they’re going to want to win for Wiggs. We got to come out ready to play.”