Instead of signing with Miami, Caron Butler has agreed to sign with their chief rivals, the Oklahoma City Thunder, reports Yahoo! Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski. Because he signed before the Saturday midnight deadline, Butler will be eligible to play for the Thunder in this spring’s postseason.
It was previously reported that Miami was the likely destination for the 6-7 small forward. He began his career there, is still close with Dwyane Wade and would’ve provided yet another shooter off the bench for a team that frequently plays LeBron James at power forward. Instead, the 33-year-old decided to sign with OKC for the rest of the season, where he will compete with Jeremy Lamb and Perry Jones for minutes off the bench.
This is a huge move for the Thunder, who missed out on signing Danny Granger. Butler averaged 11 points per game for the Bucks this year, and while he is no longer the All-Star talent he once was in Washington, he can still hit the three-ball and is one of the league’s tougher swingmen. The Thunder are deep, but Thabo Sefolosha often struggles offensively and the team’s bench is extremely young. Butler won’t be James Harden, but he’s a serviceable replacement who should have an impact in the postseason. At the very least, this keeps him away from South Beach.
What kind of an impact will Butler have in OKC?
Follow Sean on Twitter at @SEANesweeney.
Follow Dime on Twitter at @DimeMag.
Become a fan of Dime Magazine on Facebook HERE.