Heat Trade Meyers Leonard to Thunder Following Antisemitic Comments
The Heat are trading Meyers Leonard one week after he used an antisemitic slur while streaming himself playing Call of Duty on Twitch.
The Thunder will send Trevor Ariza to Miami in exchange for Leonard and a 2027 second-round pick, a move initially reported Wednesday ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. The Heat confirmed the move later in the day.
The trade comes six days after the NBA fined Leonard $50,000 and suspended him from all team facilities and team activities for one week following his use of the slur.
Miami released a statement last Tuesday, saying the club "condemns the use of any form of hate speech." The Heat added that Leonard would be away from the team indefinitely and the franchise would cooperate with the NBA while it conducted an investigation.
Leonard issued an apology the same day, saying he was deeply sorry for using the slur during the live stream and not knowing what the word meant.
"My ignorance about history and how offensive it is to the Jewish community is absolutely not an excuse and I was just wrong," Leonard said. "I am now more aware of its meaning and I am committed to properly seeking out people who can help educate me about this type of hate and how we can fight it.
"This is not a proper representation of who I am and I want to apologize to the Arisons, my teammates, coaches, front office, and everyone associated with the Miami Heat organization."
Leonard, 29, has nearly 70,000 followers on Twitch. He was in the midst of streaming last Tuesday when the clip surfaced on Twitter and went viral.
As part of the trade, Leonard must waive his no-trade clause because of the one-year Bird restriction in his current contract. However, once the trade is completed, there's no expectation that Leonard will be a part of the Thunder moving forward, reports Wojnarowski.
Leonard reportedly "was agreeable to facilitate the deal as a gesture of good faith to the Heat organization."
In three games this season, the forward averaged 3.3 points and 2.3 rebounds. He is out for the rest of the year after undergoing season-ending shoulder surgery in February.
Rumors first circulated on Tuesday that Miami was talking with Oklahoma City about a potential Ariza deal. The 35-year-old hasn't played in a game this year after a series of trades in the offseason. Ariza reached Oklahoma City through a three-team trade involving the Thunder, Pistons and Mavericks.
By acquiring Ariza, the Heat receives a veteran with stronger defense and three-point shooting. Ariza started last season with the Kings before heading to the Trail Blazers in a midseason deal. He averaged 11 points, 4.8 rebounds and two assists in 21 games with the Blazers.
