Will Heat’s approach at NBA Draft be to take best available or to fill a need?
When it’s the Miami Heat’s turn to make a pick in next week’s NBA Draft, the selection won’t necessarily be made to fill a need. That’s because the Heat leans toward taking the best available player on its board, whether or not the selection addresses a team need.
“Depending on how we rank the players and depending on who is going to be in our tier of players where we’re selecting, you have to make that decision,” said Adam Simon, who is the Heat’s vice president of basketball operations and assistant general manager. “If you feel like the best player is younger, you pick that player. If you feel the best player is a player who you have a player like on your team, but if you feel he’s the best player, we’ll make that recommendation to Pat [Riley]and [Erik Spoelstra] and say: ‘Hey, this is the player we think is the best player.’”
The Heat will take that philosophy into the 2024 NBA Draft, which spans two days this year (first round on June 26 and second round on June 27). The Heat holds the No. 15 pick in the first round and No. 43 pick in the second round of the 58-pick draft.
Among the prospects who have either already worked out or are scheduled to work out for the Heat in Miami are Providence guard Devin Carter, Purdue center Zach Edey, G League Ignite forward Ron Holland, Indiana center Kel’el Ware, Southern Cal guard Isaiah Collier, Arizona forward Keshad Johnson and UConn guard Tristen Newton, according to league sources. Carter, Edey, Holland, Ware and Collier are among the potential first-round options for the Heat at pick No. 15, and Johnson
and Newton are among the potential second-round options for the Heat at pick No. 43.
According to HoopsHype’s draft workout tracker, the Heat has also invited Baylor center Yves Missi, G League Ignite forward Tyler Smith, California guard Jaylon Tyson, French forward Pacome Dadiet, UCLA center Adem Bona, Weber State forward Dillon Jones, Florida guard Zyon Pullin, Southern Cal guard Boogie Ellis, Nevada guard Kenan Blackshear, North Carolina State center Mohamed Diarra, Illinois guard Marcus Domask, West Virginia center Jesse Edwards, English guard Quinn Ellis, Cleveland State forward Tristan Enaruna, Wyoming guard Sam Griffin, Nova Southeastern forward Shane Hunter, Clemson guard Joseph Girard III, French forward Noah Penda and Auburn forward Jaylin Williams, among others for pre-draft workouts at Kaseya Center.
If the best player available on the Heat’s draft board also fills a need when its pick comes around, that’s the ideal scenario.
“I think if the stars align, you can take the best player at the position that you might need,” Simon said. “But I think when you’re talking about players entering that are younger than the players that are technically on your roster, I think the goal for us is to try to come out of the draft wherever we’re picking with the best player. If it happens to be by position, great.”
With so much roster turnover around the NBA from season to season, what appears to be a need this offseason may no longer be a need a few months from now after free agency and/or trades.
Free agency around the league begins June 30 at 6 p.m. just a few days after the draft. Haywood Highsmith, Patty Mills and Delon Wright are unrestricted free agents this summer, and Thomas Bryant (holds a $2.8 million player option for next season), Kevin Love (holds a $4 million player option for next season), Caleb Martin (holds a $7.1 million player option for next season) and Josh Richardson (holds a $3.1 million player option for next season) have player options in their contracts with the Heat to decide on by a June 29 deadline.
“You have free agency around the corner and trades can always be made,” Simon said when discussing his draft philosophy. “So I think the last thing I would want to do is pass on a really good talent to take someone just to fill a need.”
Because the first thing the Heat wants to do in the draft is add talent to its roster.
“We could look back and say: ‘Well, why didn’t you take this player?’ ” Simon continued. “Because we liked him better, but we had a need? That wouldn’t really make sense.”
ANOTHER NEW ROLE FOR HASLEM
Udonis Haslem, who retired at the end of the 2022-23 season following a 20-year NBA playing career spent entirely with the Heat, has been named the commissioner of the Miami Pro League.
“As commissioner, Udonis Haslem will oversee the strategic direction and day-to-day operations of the Miami Pro League, further solidifying its position as a beacon of basketball talent and community engagement in the Miami area,” according to a press release announcing the news. “With his deep roots in the local basketball scene and his unwavering commitment to excellence, Haslem is poised to bring the league to new heights of success.”
The Miami Pro League has become known for providing a platform for professional-level summer basketball in Miami. Current Heat players like Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro, Highsmith and Richardson are among the NBA players who have competed in the Miami Pro League over the years.
Haslem, a Miami native, was hired by the Heat in November just months into retirement to be the vice president of basketball development. He also has served as an NBA analyst for various television networks in retirement.