The Oklahoma City Thunder are finalizing a change to send winger Trevor Arizato to the Miami Heat for power forward Meyers Leonard and a 2027 second-round pick, sources told ESPN.
Once the transaction is completed via a business call with the league office Wednesday afternoon, there are no expectations that Leonard will be part of the Thunder in the future, sources said.
Ariza, 35, offers the Miami a versatile and consummate wing for his drive toward the Eastern Conference playoffs. Ariza has not played a game in a year, opting not to participate in the rematch in Orlando due to family considerations as a member of the Portland Trail Blazers.
Leonard, who was fined $ 50,000 by the NBA for an anti-Semitic comment, had to give up the no-change clause in his two-year contract, which included a team option for 2021-2022, which will be rejected as apart from a matter of procedure to complete the deal.
Leonard, who will miss the season with shoulder surgery that ended his season in February, agreed to facilitate the deal as a gesture of good faith to the Heat organization, where has played since arriving at a Portland exchange in 2019.
The key to the deal for Oklahoma City was to rack up another future draft pick. Oklahoma City switched to another 2027 second-round pick last week in a deal with Detroit. The expectation is that Oklahoma City will keep Leonard under contract until Thursday’s change deadline in case there is an opportunity to use his contract in another transaction, sources said.
Since his March 10 comments, Leonard has been working with members of the Jewish community in South Florida, sources said. He will continue to rehabilitate his shoulder and train in the area.
Oklahoma City acquired Ariza as part of a three-team deal with Detroit and Dallas in the offseason. In a single week, Ariza was moved from Portland to the Houston Rockets to the Detroit Pistons and Oklahoma City.
Ariza has a contract that expires for $ 12,800,000.
After starting the season with the Sacramento Kings a year ago, Ariza was traded to the Trail Blazers, where he averaged 11 points and 4.8 rebounds in 21 games as a starter. Ariza has averaged 10.5 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.2 assists in his 16-season career.