Heat acquire former Finals MVP Andre Iguodala from Grizzlies: reports

Andre Iguodala's trade to Miami was getting closer to the finish line Thursday after the Heat and Memphis Grizzlies agreed to terms on a six-player trade, according to two people with direct knowledge of the terms.

The portion of the trade involving Iguodala was agreed upon Wednesday night, as was the 2015 NBA Finals MVP agreeing to a two-year extension with Miami that will be formalized when the totality of the deal actually gets approved by the league sometime Thursday.

Justise Winslow knew he was leaving Miami for Memphis on Wednesday night, as evidenced by some social-media posts and a late-night visit to his now-former locker room to pack up his belongings and wish a security guard well. Also in the deal: Dion Waiters and James Johnson leaving Miami for Memphis, with Jae Crowder and Solomon Hill leaving the Grizzlies for the Heat.

Miami and Memphis were also working on a third component, that being adding Oklahoma City in what could have brought Danilo Gallinari to the Heat. But as Thursday's 3 p.m. EST trade deadline neared, that deal remained simply an idea — so the Heat and Grizzlies were moving on to completing what they could.

Iguodala, speaking to The Undefeated on Wednesday night, said he was eager to play alongside Jimmy Butler and Miami's young core while helping mentor them as well.

"Jimmy Butler ... he's looked at as different but (is) very well-respected in terms of the passion and the hard work that he brings to the game," Iguodala said. "I feel like his temperament and values that he has really resonates with the Miami Heat. They're very well aligned. I think he's brought out the best in those young guys."

Iguodala specifically mentioned Heat centre Bam Adebayo, a first-time All-Star this year.

"Bam, I'm really looking forward to playing with him," Iguodala said.

Butler and Adebayo, speaking after Miami's loss in Los Angeles to the Clippers on Wednesday night, indicated they were excited to add Iguodala to their mix.

"He's super-smart. There's nothing that he cannot do," Butler said. "When I get to learn from him, when everyone gets to learn from him, that winning level, that meter, is going up in everyone's mind."

Added Adebayo, who values his playoff experience: "You know he's going to bring a lot of knowledge."

Holding the team option for 2021-22 is a critical component of Iguodala's extension for Miami, which intends to have maximum flexibility for free-agent shopping in the summer of 2021 and made clear to all teams in recent days — and even last summer — that it would not compromise those plans.

The 36-year-old Iguodala was traded to Memphis last summer. He did not play for the Grizzlies, after he and the team agreed that it would be best if he was sent elsewhere. It took seven months, but Miami became that next destination.

4-team, 12-player bonanza

Robert Covington is going to the Houston Rockets and Clint Capela is going to the Atlanta Hawks as the headline moves in a complicated trade that was struck early Wednesday involving four teams, 12 players and at least three draft picks.

Among the key components: Covington and Jordan Bell will join the Rockets from Minnesota, Capela and Nene are leaving the Rockets for the Hawks, the Timberwolves added soon-to-be restricted free agents Malik Beasley and Juancho Hernangomez from Denver and the Nuggets got Shabazz Napier from Minnesota plus a first-round pick from Houston.

ESPN and The Athletic first reported the trade.

Covington told Houston television station KRIV Fox 26 upon his arrival at the airport Wednesday that he was looking forward to a new opportunity.

"It's all over the place right now," Covington said when asked about his emotions. "Just kind of getting adjusted to life changing — drastically — in such a short amount of time."

It was not immediately clear if a call with NBA attorneys to review and approve the trade would happen on Wednesday or Thursday. The league's trade deadline is 3 p.m. ET Thursday.

Also in the deal: Jarred Vanderbilt is leaving Denver for Minnesota, and the Nuggets are getting Keita Bates-Diop and Noah Vonleh from the Timberwolves as well as Evan Turner from the Hawks. Gerald Green — who is out with a seasonlong foot injury — also goes to Denver from Houston to help make the math work and is likely to be waived once the deal is final, and Atlanta will also have to make another move to finalize the trade since it must first clear a roster spot.