Why the Heat has fewer trade-eligible draft picks than any team. And when that changes
Barring a significant regression next season and some major luck in the lottery, any Miami Heat roster reincarnation likely won’t feature any ballyhooed rookie during the next several years.
In fact, no team in the NBA has less trade-eligible draft inventory than the Heat in the coming years.
Not only does Miami not have a pick in the July 29 NBA Draft, but the Heat currently has only one pick that’s eligible to be traded in the next seven drafts — a 2024 second-rounder.
So how did it get to this point? Mostly from a combination of trades, including some that worked out (Goran Dragic) and others that so far haven’t (Victor Oladipo).
A look at the Heat’s draft inventory in the years ahead:
2021 DRAFT
▪ First-round pick: Miami dealt it to Phoenix in the 2015 Dragic trade, and the pick later was flipped to Philadelphia and then the Clippers and now belongs to Oklahoma City. But the Thunder can swap it for the Rockets’ pick if Houston doesn’t get a top-four pick in the lottery.
▪ Second-round pick: Miami originally traded this pick and guard Brian Roberts to Portland for cash considerations in 2016. The pick is now owned by Atlanta.
2022 DRAFT
▪ First-round pick: The Heat owns its first-rounder, but because of the Oladipo deal, it could be the 30th and last pick in the first round if the Heat makes the playoffs next season and the Brooklyn Nets have the best record in the league next season.
Here’s how it works:
Houston will receive the two most-favorable of three 2022 first-round picks: its own, Brooklyn’s and the Heat’s, with Miami’s first-round pick protected for selections 1 to 14. The Heat will receive the least-favorable of these three first-round picks, which would be Brooklyn’s selection if the Nets finish with the best record among those three teams next season.
If the Heat misses the playoffs next season, then Miami would keep its 2022 lottery pick; Houston would keep its pick and Brooklyn’s pick, plus the less-favorable of Denver’s 2022 second-round pick and Philadelphia’s 2022 second-round pick originally owned by the Heat.
▪ Second-round pick: This was dealt to Indiana with two other future second-round picks in exchange for KZ Okpala, who was the 32nd overall selection in the 2019 draft.
2023 DRAFT
▪ First-round pick: The Heat owes Oklahoma City a future first-round pick that has top-14 protection in 2023, 2024 and 2025; it becomes unprotected in 2026 if the Heat misses the playoffs in 2023, 2024 and 2025.
Miami relinquished that pick as an enticement for the Clippers to take on Maurice Harkless’ $11 million contract from Portland as part of the Hassan Whiteside trade that allowed Miami to facilitate its acquisition of Jimmy Butler.
Oklahoma City subsequently ended up with that pick from the Clippers as part of the Paul George trade. And Miami ended up with Harkless using midlevel exception money a year later, but that didn’t work out.
The problem with the protections on the 2023 pick is that they have prevented the Heat from dangling first-round picks in 2025, 2026 or 2027 because teams cannot trade first-round picks in consecutive years.
And the Heat likely would need to compensate OKC for removing the protections on that pick, even though doing so would be doing the Thunder a favor.
▪ Second-round pick: This was traded to Dallas with Josh McRoberts and cash considerations for A.J. Hammons in July 2017.
2024 DRAFT
▪ First-round pick: The Heat will have its first-round pick only if Miami makes the playoffs in 2022-23 (because the Heat’s 2023 first-rounder would have been conveyed to OKC in that scenario) or missed the playoffs in 2022-23 and 2023-24.
The pick cannot be traded unless OKC agrees to allow the Heat to eliminate protections on the pick.
▪ Second-round pick: The Heat initially traded a top-55 protected 2024 second-round pick to Cleveland to acquire Dwyane Wade — nearly the least possible compensation needed to facilitate Wade’s return tour with the Heat. That pick subsequently has moved on to four other teams, with protections expanded to the point that Miami will almost assuredly have this pick.
2025 DRAFT
▪ First-round pick: The Heat will have it if Miami makes the playoffs in 2022-23 or 2023-24 or missed the playoffs both of those seasons and again in 2024-25. The pick cannot be traded unless OKC agrees to allow the Heat to eliminate protections on the pick.
▪ Second-round pick: Dealt to Indiana in the Okpala deal.
2026 DRAFT
▪ First-round pick: The Heat will have this pick only if it made the playoffs in one of the previous three seasons. But if it shockingly misses the playoffs four consecutive years, the pick will convey to OKC regardless of where it lands in the draft. The pick cannot be traded unless OKC agrees to allow the Heat to eliminate protections on the pick.
▪ Second-round pick: Dealt to Indiana in the Okpala deal.
2027 DRAFT
▪ First-round pick: Miami owns it. The pick cannot be traded unless OKC agrees to allow the Heat to eliminate protections on the 2023 pick.
▪ Second-round pick: The Heat dealt this pick and Meyers Leonard for Trevor Ariza in March.
2028 DRAFT
▪ First-round pick: Miami owns it. This is the first future first-round pick that the Heat is permitted to trade (at least without OKC’s permission), but not until the new league year starts in early August. Teams cannot trade any future first-round picks more than seven years out.
▪ Second-round pick: The Heat owns this pick and can trade it beginning in August.
This story was originally published June 1, 2021 at 3:08 PM.
