If no Giannis trade, a look at guards who could be available for Heat at No. 13 in 2026 Draft
There are plenty of questions surrounding the Miami Heat amid its pursuit of a trade for Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo.
One of those questions is whether the Heat will keep its first-round pick at No. 13 overall in next week’s NBA Draft. The two-day NBA Draft will take place Tuesday (first round) and Wednesday (second round).
The Heat’s first-round selection at No. 13 is expected to be part of any trade offer to the Bucks for Antetokounmpo. But if the Heat misses out on Antetokounmpo, the Heat may end up keeping the 13th overall selection.
The Miami Herald’s three-part NBA Draft preview begins with a look at the guards who are expected to be selected in the Heat’s range in the first round (if Miami keeps the pick). The Heat also holds a second-round pick in next week’s draft at No. 41 overall.
The guard candidates for the Heat’s first-round selection at No. 13 include Texas Tech’s Christian Anderson, Louisville’s Mikel Brown Jr., Arizona’s Brayden Burries, Alabama’s Labaron Philon Jr., Iowa’s Bennett Stirtz, Stanford’s Ebuka Okorie and Arkansas’ Meleek Thomas.
Kansas’ Darryn Peterson, Illinois’ Keaton Wagler, Arkansas’ Darius Acuff Jr. and Houston’s Kingston Flemings are widely considered the best guards in the 2026 draft class, and they will almost definitely be selected before it’s Miami’s turn to pick in the first round if it doesn’t trade up.
WHAT TO KNOW
While it wouldn’t be a huge surprise to see any of these seven guards drop to the Heat, it seems like most mock drafts project Burries and Brown to be taken ahead of Miami’s selection at No. 13.
Burries is a 20-year-old guard who stands 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds with a 6-6 wingspan. While not the most athletic guard in the Heat’s range, he projects to be a quality two-way guard at the NBA level who can put the ball in the basket and defend. Burries averaged 16.1 points, 4.9 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.5 steals per game while shooting 49.1% from the field and 39.1% from three-point range as a freshman at Arizona last season. Burries was an impressive three-level scorer at Arizona, shooting 57.1% at the rim, 44.2% on pull-up midrange shots and 40.3% on pull-up threes last season.
Brown is even smaller than Burries, coming in at 6-3 and 190 pounds. But Brown, 20, is projected by many to be a top-10 pick because of his combination of standout three-point shooting and passing ability. Brown averaged 18.2 points, 3.3 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 1.2 steals per game while shooting 41% from the field and 34.4% on threes during his lone college season. Brown was bothered by a back injury for most of his freshman season, so it was challenging to get a true read on his game. NBA teams will do their homework to determine whether Brown’s back issue is a long-term concern. If it’s not, Brown’s offensive upside will likely be enough to get him drafted in the lottery. But he will need to continue to fill out his frame after weighing in at the combine at 190 pounds, and his defense needs to improve.
The other five guard candidates on the list are more realistic options for the Heat at No. 13.
Anderson (6-foot-1 and 180 pounds) has been labeled by some as the best three-point shooter in this year’s draft class. He averaged 18.5 points, 3.6 rebounds, 7.4 assists and 1.5 steals per game while shooting 47.2% from the field and 41.5% on threes as a sophomore at Texas Tech last season. He shot the ball extremely well off the ball and in pull-up situations. Anderson’s passing ability is also impressive, which will help him and his team if defenses run multiple defenders at him to keep him off the three-point line. But the biggest concerns with Anderson, 20, at the NBA level have to do with his size and ability to hold up on the defensive end.
Philon (6-2 and 176 pounds) might have had the best college season among all the guards in the Heat’s range. He averaged an impressive 22 points, 3.5 rebounds, five assists and 1.2 steals per game while shooting an efficient 50.1% from the field and 39.9% on threes as a sophomore last season. Philon’s strength is his scoring ability, but is he physically ready for the NBA level? Philon, 20, stands at 6-2, but weighed in at just 177 pounds at this year’s draft combine. He’s also not the most explosive athlete, throwing down just two half-court dunks this past season at Alabama, according to The Athletic.
Stirtz is one of the older prospects in the Heat’s range, as he will turn 23 in October. But he also was one of the best guards in college basketball last season, averaging 19.8 points, 2.6 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 1.4 steals per game while shooting 47.7% from the field, 35.8% on threes and 84.8% from the free-throw line as a senior at Iowa. Stirtz (6-foot-2 and 186 pounds) is one of the best shooters in this group, making an impressive 49.2% of his shots off the catch last season. Stirtz also is a solid finisher, making 69.4% of his shots at the rim in half-court situations last season, according to Synergy. But Stirtz has to keep getting stronger, and he needs to prove he can survive defensively in the NBA. Also, Stirtz comes with a lower perceived ceiling than most of the guards in the Heat’s range because of his age.
Okorie is just 19 years old and has intriguing upside, but he also has some things that he will need to clean up to become a consistent contributor at the NBA level. He averaged 23.2 points, 3.6 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.6 steals per game while shooting 46.5% from the field, 35.4% from three-point range and 83.2% from the foul line as a freshman at Stanford last season. Okorie stands just 6-1, but he makes up for some that lack of height with a 6-8 wingspan. Okorie is excellent at getting in the paint off the dribble, but he needs to become a better finisher when he gets to the basket and prove he can be a consistent outside shooter in the NBA. Okorie also has some questions to answer on the defensive end at his size.
Thomas is another younger prospect with upside, as he’s still only 19 years old. He averaged 15.6 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.5 steals per game while shooting 43.5% from the field, 41.6% on threes and 84.3% at the foul line as a freshman at Arkansas last season. Thomas (6-foot-3 and 189 pounds) has the potential to become an excellent three-point shooter in the NBA, but there are questions about his defensive ability, and he might need to be reigned in a bit on the offensive end. Thomas also isn’t the best athlete in this group, as he had zero dunks in half-court situations at Arkansas last season, according to Synergy.
WHAT ARE OTHERS SAYING?
ESPN’s latest mock draft has Brown (seventh to Sacramento Kings) and Burries (ninth to Dallas Mavericks) being picked before the Heat’s turn at No. 13.
The Athletic’s latest mock draft also has Burries (ninth to Mavericks) and Brown (10th to Bucks) being picked before the Heat’s selection.
Yahoo Sports’ latest mock draft also has Brown (sixth to Brooklyn Nets) and Burries (eighth to Atlanta Hawks) being taken before the Heat picks.
The other five guards in the Heat’s range are projected to be selected after the Heat’s pick at No. 13, according to the latest versions of these three mock drafts.
