With the Miami Heat putting Sunday’s game against the Orlando Magic in proper perspective, the team took flight without Jimmy Butler. But if you believe Bam Adebayo, there was a chance long ago that the team manifest would have included Butler and not himself.

During an appearance on J.J. Redick’s Old Man and the Three podcast, Adebayo told the former NBA 3-point specialist and current ESPN analyst that one season into his Heat career, he almost was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Butler at the start of 2018-19.

At the time, Butler had been pushing for his departure from the Timberwolves, eventually to be traded on Nov. 12, 2018 to the Philadelphia 76ers for Robert Covington and Dario Saric. The Heat had been pushing at the time with an offer of Josh Richardson, Dion Waiters and draft capital to the ‘Wolves. Richardson then would be dealt the following summer to Philadelphia in a sign-and-trade package for Butler.

“You heard the Minnesota situation,” Adebayo said on the recently released podcast. “And it’s crazy, because I almost got traded for Jimmy, to Minnesota.”

At the time, Adebayo was coming off an uneven rookie season after he was drafted No. 13 out of Kentucky by the Heat in 2017, playing his initial NBA season as Hassan Whiteside’s understudy.

That, Adebayo said, is when Heat President Pat Riley stepped in.

“But I almost got traded for Jimmy,” Adebayo continued. “Pat wouldn’t trade me. Like he was, ‘Nah, I see something good in this kid.’ Yadda, yadda, yadda.

“And, at that point, I’m sweating bullets. Like, I’m not trying to be traded. I like it in Miami. It’s warm. I kind of got my feet wet. I’m familiar with the place.”

Deeper appreciation

With almost the entire Heat roster as some point sidelined this season by NBA health-and-safety protocols, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said his own absence last week for those reasons gave him a deeper appreciation for the predicament.

“The thing about it is we’ve all been in this situation now, where we’ve been a part of it,” Spoelstra said, “and we’ve also been a part of it where we’ve been on the outside looking in. And I felt like I was left out.

“So now I got to experience that, and it is just good to be back in the mix.”

Spoelstra tested positive last Sunday in Toronto, missing the Heat’s ensuing victories over the Raptors and Charlotte Hornets, before returning to coach Friday night’s victory over the Atlanta Hawks. Assistant Chris Quinn had coached in his place.

While the NBA no longer requires COVID testing, teams must produce negative tests in order to fly back into the United States. Toronto stands as a potential Heat second-round playoff opponent, which could put Spoelstra and his players in a similar testing situation in two weeks.

Lowry appreciation

Spoelstra said these past few weeks have been a study in veteran point guard Kyle Lowry moving into playoff mode.

“I’ve really enjoyed watching his entire process, for the regular season,” Spoelstra said. “He’s shifted. He’s been a chameleon into a lot of different roles: breathing life into guys, giving confidence to young guys, letting people get into a great rhythm, facilitating. You’ve seen times during the year, when we had injuries, when he was more assertive.

“But you can see in the last three weeks he’s really been focused on getting ready for the playoffs, and it’s a different level. Because he has all the skills, the shooting. But he knows to just manipulate and take advantage of different cracks and defenses.”

()