MIAMI, Feb. 8 – The Miami HEAT announced today that they have acquired Luke Babbitt from the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for Okaro White.
Babbitt, who was originally acquired by the HEAT on July 10, 2016, has appeared in 37 games (nine starts) with the Hawks this season averaging 6.1 points, 2.2 rebounds and 15.4 minutes while shooting 47.6 percent from the field, 44.1 percent from three-point range and 77.3 percent from the foul line. He led Atlanta in three-point field goal percentage (minimum 50 attempts) and shot at least 50 percent from beyond the arc in 17 games this season. In his lone season in Miami during the 2016-17 campaign, he made a single-season career-high 87 three-point field goals and hit multiple treys in a game 23 times, also a single-season career best.
Babbitt has appeared in 368 career NBA regular season games (102 starts) during his eight-year career averaging 4.9 points, 2.3 rebounds and 14.1 minutes while shooting 41.3 percent from the floor, 41 percent from three-point range and 74.7 percent from the foul line. Including this season, Babbitt has shot at least 40 percent from downtown in four consecutive seasons.
White, who was originally signed by the HEAT as a free agent on July 15, 2016, has appeared in 41 career games with Miami (four starts) averaging 2.9 points and 2.3 rebounds in 13.4 minutes while shooting 38.8 percent from the field. He appeared in six games with the HEAT this season before having surgery on November 16 to repair a fifth metatarsal fracture in his left foot.