Many mock drafts have French players Zaccharie Risacher and Alex Sarr as the first picks off the board with college stars like Kentucky Wildcats guard Reed Sheppard, reigning national champion UConn's Stephon Castle and Donovan Clingan, and Tennessee's Dalton Knecht following behind.
For the first time, the NBA draft will be a two-day event. The first round kicks off tonight, Wednesday, June 26, at 8 p.m. at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
The question on all of our minds leading up to tonight's festivities is: What is "The Godfather," AKA Heat president Pat Riley, planning to do with the team's No. 15 and No. 43 picks in the draft?
Heat Draft Preview
The Heat currently hold the 15th overall pick in the draft although rumors have circulated that Miami is looking to trade up for the Memphis Grizzlies' No. 9 spot. As the draft order currently stands, Miami's selection is expected to be announced between 9:15 p.m. and 9:45 p.m. There will be five minutes between each pick in the first round, which consists of 30 picks.Potential targets for the Heat at 15 include Pittsburgh Panthers guard Carlton Carrington, Purdue star and seven-foot-four center Zach Edey, Serbian guard Nikola Topić, Wildcats guard Rob Dillingham, USC guard Isaiah Collier, Duke guard Jared McCain, Colorado Buffaloes forward Tristan da Silva, Marquette guard Tyler Kolek, and Hoosiers center Kel'el Ware.
The second round will continue on Thursday at 4 p.m. The Heat currently hold the 43rd overall pick, which is expected between 4:50 p.m. and 5:20 p.m. There will only be four minutes between each pick.
Meanwhile, Jimmy Butler's name is swirling around the league in potential trades rumors. While reports insist the Heat want to keep Butler, there has been speculation that the 35-year-old star wants to maximize his contract extension, which could cost the team more than $100 million. ESPN's Brian Windhorst reported Wednesday that although teams have reached out to Butler about his interest in a trade, the Heat star showed little interest in leaving the Magic City.
Previous First Round Picks
While Riley and the Heat have made major splashes in free agency (we can't forget the "Big 3" era with the signings of LeBron James and Chris Bosh), the team has also had pretty solid success with their first-round selections. Remember a guy by the name of Dwyane Wade in 2003?Here are the Heat's first round picks since 2015:
- 2023: Jaime Jaquez Jr. (no. 18)
- 2022: Nikola Jovic (no. 27)
- 2020: Precious Achiuwa (no. 20)
- 2019: Tyler Herro (no. 13)
- 2017: Bam Adebayo (no. 14)
- 2015: Justise Winslow (no. 10)
