Southeast Notes: Heat, Clifford, McRae, Wizards

October 18th 2018 at 8:55pm CST by JD Shaw

Heat president Pat Riley met with the team’s players this week and explained that he is “pulling the plug” on a potential Jimmy Butler trade, according to Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel. Riley did not state a future trade was completely off the table.

The Heat and Timberwolves have discussed several packages centered around Butler in recent weeks, with Minnesota eager to acquire young players Josh Richardson and Bam Adebayo in any potential deal. The Athletic’s Shams Charania (link) first reported the Heat’s plans to start the season with its current roster.

Butler played in the Timberwolves’ season opener in San Antonio on Wednesday, competing alongside Andrew Wiggins and Karl-Anthony Towns in the starting five. His grit-and-grind style appeals to a hardworking team like the Heat, explaining their longstanding interest in his services. It’s unclear whether Miami will revisit these discussions with Minnesota before the NBA’s trading deadline.

There’s more out of the Southeast Division:

Magic coach Steve Clifford believes the team has enough talent to make the postseason, Chris Hays of the Orlando Sentinel writes. The team features a fearsome frontcourt headlined by Aaron Gordon, Mohamed Bamba, Jonathan Isaac and Nikola Vucevic.
Jordan McRae has a leg up in the race for the Wizards‘ 14th roster spot, according to Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington. Washington must fill that spot soon after trading Jodie Meeks, so McRae could have his two-way contract converted into a standard deal.
The Wizards have made a series of changes to their coaching staff, the team announced in a press release this week. Robert Pack and Ryan Richman will join the front of the bench, with Kristi Toliver joining the back of the bench as an assistant. Alex McLean and Landon Tatum were also promoted to assistant coaches.