The Miami Heat finally completed their acquisition of All-Star guard Jimmy Butler after contract issues stalled the process.
The final deal came in the form of a four-way blockbuster that included the Portland Trail Blazers and the Los Angeles Clippers as the other two teams. Miami sent Hassan Whiteside to the Blazers, and Josh Richardson to Philadelphia. Meanwhile, Portland sent Meyers Leonard to Miami and Moe Harkless to the Clippers.
Along with Harkless' expiring contract, the Clippers also acquired a future first-round draft pick with complicated protections from the Heat. Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald explains the details of the pick:
According to source: Heat's 2023 first-round pick dealt to the Clippers is lottery protected in 2023. If doesn't convey in 2023, also lottery protected in 2024. If doesn't convey in 2024, also lottery protected in 2025. Then unprotected in 2026.
— Anthony Chiang (@Anthony_Chiang) July 2, 2019
That's a pretty heavily protected pick for the Clippers, and it could come in handy for the future.
Miami and Philly originally had a sign-and-trade deal in place with the Dallas Mavericks serving as the third team. The Heat initially sent point guard Goran Dragic to Dallas. Then reports came out that the Mavericks thought they were getting Kelly Olynyk and Derrick Jones Jr. instead. The deal eventually came off the table, and the Heat had to look elsewhere to dump a contract to make way for Butler's incoming four-year, $142-million deal.
The Clippers now own two picks from the Heat. Along with the 2023 pick, they also have Miami's 2021 pick that was included in the deal that sent Tobias Harris from the Clippers to the Sixers.
The Clippers have made some pretty good moves so far under the guidance of Jerry West. However, as of now, the only move they are concerned with is landing the biggest fish in the pond – Kawhi Leonard.
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