The Heat excel at getting players to help reduce the team’s luxury-tax bill, most infamously with Beno Udrih – injured and out for the rest of the season – accepting a buyout in 2016.
This year, Tyler Johnson and Wayne Ellington are cooperating.
John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7:
So to sum up Tyler Johnson and Wayne Ellington to the Suns for Ryan Anderson. There are no picks involved in this trade.
— John Gambadoro (@Gambo987) February 6, 2019
Johnson was entitled to a trade bonus of $1,043,817. But this deal doesn’t meet salary-matching requirements if he gets the full amount. It’d work only if Johnson gets $111,563 or less. So, he had to waive the rest of his trade bonus (or more) to allow the deal. I’m not sure why he left money on the table to leave Miami, which is in the playoff hunt and where he’s getting plenty of playing time, to get to lowly Phoenix. Perhaps, he sees an opportunity with the Suns desperate at point guard. The Heat’s backcourt is more crowded with Josh Richardson, Justise Winslow, Dwyane Wade, Rodney McGruder, Dion Waiters and Goran Dragic, who’ll eventually get healthy. Still, it’s not as if the Suns will remain content with Johnson. They’ll keep searching for upgrades.
As someone on a one-year contract who’ll have Bird Rights this offseason, Ellington had the right to veto any trade. His decision to approve makes more sense. He wasn’t playing in Miami, and it seems Phoenix will flip him to a better team or, more likely, buy him out. The sweet-shooting Ellington could help plenty of winners.
The Heat now reduce their pending luxury-tax bill by $7,958,197 and save $1,841,835 on the players’ remaining salaries for the rest of this season (though Miami will have to pay any trade bonus Johnson received). Now just $1,176,019 over the luxury-tax line, expect the Heat to find another move that gets them fully out of the tax before tomorrow’s trade deadline.
Miami also shapes up to save money next season. Johnson will be due $19,245,370, but just $15,643,750 of Ryan Anderson’s $21,264,635 2019-20 salary is guaranteed.
The 30-year-old Anderson hasn’t played much for the Suns, and this trade calls attention to him reducing his 2019-20 guarantee to facilitate a trade from the Rockets last offseason. Miami has even less of a place for Adnderson, and it appears that money is going down the drain for him.
That leaves Johnson as the only player involved in this trade likely to receive a substantial role with his new team. The 26-year-old is a reasonable combo guard who’s wildly overpaid. Phoenix apparently values at him at the $3,601,620 difference between Johnson’s salary and Anderson’s guaranteed amount next season plus the cost of taking Ellington now. Considering any team considering trading for Johnson next season will consider him at his full salary, I don’t like the Suns’ move here.
For the Heat, it’s a big money-saver that couldn’t be turned down. It’ll look even better if/when they fully dodge the tax with one more move.