NBA Free Agency 2019: Most impactful signings of the summer

OAKLAND, CA - JUNE 13: Kawhi Leonard #2 of the Toronto Raptors drives to the basket against the Golden State Warriors during Game Six of the NBA Finals on June 13, 2019 at Oracle Arena in Oakland, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images) /

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Jimmy Butler, Houston Rockets, Philadelphia 76ers

PHILADELPHIA, PA – MAY 2: Jimmy Butler #23 of the Philadelphia 76ers handles the ball against the Toronto Raptors during Game Three of the Eastern Conference Semifinals on May 2, 2019 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images) /

5. Jimmy Butler — Miami Heat

For the past three years, it seemed as if Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat were on a collision course with each other.

The Heat wanted Butler to be the face of a post-Dwyane Wade future. Butler was looking for a team that he could fully call his own. When it became apparent that Butler wasn’t interested in staying long-term as the third-or-fourth option with the Philadelphia 76ers, Miami finally saw their chance to make the free agent splash that had eluded them the past three offseasons.

It cost them a rising 3-and-D star in Josh Richardson, but for anyone who knows’s Pat Riley’s identity, he wants to win and win now, and Butler gets him much closer to that goal than Richardson would have. Butler can be headstrong, no doubt about it; however, the impact he will make on the Heat will all be worth it.

Butler is one of the best two-way players in the game, able to drop over 20 points a night while shutting down the team’s best defender. While Miami hasn’t had any problems on the defensive end of the floor, the Heat needed a proven star who they could rely on for buckets, and Jimmy is one of the players who can give them that star.

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