The Memphis Grizzlies have agreed to ship 36-year-old small forward/shooting guard Andre Iguodala to Miami in exchange for Justice Winslow. It is also reported that Iguodala has agreed to a two-year, $30 million contract extension with the Heat that includes a team option in 2021-22. The three-time NBA champion has not played for the Grizzlies this season, preferring to sit out until traded to a contender, but his impact will be felt on the defensive end for Miami and inject not only a veteran presence but one with championship pedigree and fresh legs to begin the 2020-2021 season in February instead of October.
Miami’s leading scorer, Jimmy Butler, had this to say about the acquisition of Iguodala, “He’s super smart. There’s nothing he cannot do. When I get to learn from him when everyone gets to learn from him, that winning level, that meter, is going up in everyone’s mind.”
The compliments went both ways as Iguodala remarked, after learning of the trade and the opportunity to play with Butler, “Jimmy Butler is very well respected in terms of passion and hard work he brings to the game,” he said. “His temperament and (the) values he has, really resonates with the Heat. They’re very well aligned. He’s brought out the most in those young guys. Those are some of the guys I’m really excited about. I feel I can make the most impact with those guys.”
In related news, the Heat may not be done wheeling and dealing as they are reportedly seeking to obtain power forward Danilo Gallinari from Oklahoma City to bolster their frontcourt and give them a more physical scoring presence. Although that deal has yet to be worked out, the Heat are clearly bent on a title run this season. Miami has been somewhat of a Cinderella story this season and is now within five games of matching their season win total from last year with still nearly 2 ½ months left to the regular season.
What are the Odds?
Prior to the deal for Iguodala, many sportsbooks had the Heat at +35000 to win the NBA title and +800 to win the conference. Miami was the 10th and 5th choice, respectively, but should Miami also land Gallinari then we could see those odds drop precipitously. Nevertheless, Miami will have to battle Milwaukee, Toronto, Boston, and to a lesser extent Philadelphia and Indiana in the Eastern Conference. As of this writing, Miami is the No.4 seed in the East and nine games off the pace for first place, currently held by the Bucks.
Perhaps there is no member of the Heat more responsible for their alarming surge in the standings than third-year power forward Bam Adebayo. Selected 14th overall in the 2017 draft, the former Kentucky product has improved each and every year with this season being his finest and culminating into his first All-Star selection. Averaging nearly 16 points and well over 10 boards per game the 22-year-old is making his presence felt throughout the league. Adebayo won’t be making the journey to Chicago alone as teammate Jimmy Butler will accompany him for his fifth trip to the play with the best in the business. This is the first time since 2016 that Miami has landed two players in the All-Star game with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh doing the honors four years ago.
Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra commented on Adebayo’s All-Star selection thusly, “It’s a reflection on his humility, his work ethic, his approach, competitive fierceness that he brings to competition. Stuart Scott used to say, ‘Game respects game.’ Competitors respect competitors. Fierce competitors respect fierce competitors. And he’s able to do all of that and impact winning and still keep a humility about him that I think people are really drawn to, players and coaches alike.”
Miami fell 128-111 to the Clippers on Wednesday night but will have four more opportunities for redemption before the All-Star break with road games against Sacramento, Portland, Golden State, and Utah. After the break, they will wrap up their six-game road swing in Atlanta before getting seven of their next eight at the American Airlines Arena.