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With the NBA Trade Deadline looming, the Miami Heat made a move today as they traded Tyler Johnson and Wayne Ellington to the Phoenix Suns for Ryan Anderson, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.
The trade comes as a means for Miami to solve its logjam with guards in their rotation, as well as expensive contracts. In Tyler Johnson's case, it was a 4 year, $50 million dollar contract, which the Heat gave him back when he was a free agent in 2016. With Tyler Johnson off the books for Miami, this saves them eight million dollars, but they are still over the luxury tax by $1.2 million dollars. Despite this, the Heat still look to go under the luxury tax even further.
As for Wayne Ellington, who signed a 1-year contract worth $6million dollars, he had the right to approve or disapprove a trade. Needless to say, Ellington approved the trade as his agent Mark Bartelstein confirmed. This also means that Ellington has waived off his bird-restriction rights as well.
With Ryan Anderson heading to Miami, this will help the Heat with much of their spacing, as Derrick Jones Jr. is nursing a knee injury that he suffered during a road game against the New York Knicks. Anderson adds a little depth for Miami's bigs that consist of Hassan Whiteside, Bam Adebayo, and Kelly Olynyk. Anderson, who previously played for the Suns, had a 4 year, $80 million dollar contract and earned $20 million a season, which is now reduced to $15.6 million as part of this deal.
As to who won this trade between the Heat and the Suns, Miami won this trade for logical reasons. For one thing, the Heat have some wiggle room with their salary, but they'll also look to get under the luxury tax.
Another reason would be that the Heat are also adding some depth in the frontcourt, which should help them open up a lot for them on offense. While both Johnson and Anderson are free agents in 2020, Miami could be thinking strategically ahead to not only get under the luxury tax but also going for a star that can help them.
Guess the Lakers players!
