Trade negotiations between the Miami Heat and Philadelphia 76ers for swingman Jimmy Butler are continuing, with no apparent indication that any deal is forthcoming.
However, Butler appears confident that a trade is imminent, given his response to a challenge from a retired NFL star.
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Butler is on the verge of becoming a free agent, which would effectively eliminate the Heat’s chances of acquiring him. That’s because their current salary-cap situation precludes them from signing Butler or any other major free agent.
The 41-year-old Johnson is a Miami native who was an NFL wide receiver for 12 seasons, the first 10 of which were with the Cincinnati Bengals. Over those dozen seasons, he caught 766 passes and was known for outlandish stunts, such as briefly changing his name to Chad Ochocinco, which was meant to represent his uniform number (85). He closed out his NFL career in 2012 with the Miami Dolphins.
If the Heat are successful making this trade, some of their current players will be sent to the 76ers in return for Butler. The most notable name mentioned is Josh Richardson, though other reports indicate that point guard Goran Dragic could be part of such a trade package.
In the days leading up to the start of free agency, Butler has expressed a willingness to play for the Heat. He played collegiately at Marquette University, like Heat legend Dwyane Wade, with news of a possible deal for Butler resulting in Wade joking about coming out of retirement to team with Butler.
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