Miami Heat: Push made to draft Clint Capela over Shabazz Napier in 2014

The Miami Heat have historically struggled in the NBA Draft; in 2014, one mistake was nearly avoided. Clint Capela was almost taken instead of Shabazz Napier.

It’s common knowledge that the Miami Heat don’t exactly shine in the NBA Draft. I mean, who could forget Michael Beasley back in 2008, who went from being the most pro-ready talent available to playing in China within six years? Hindsight may always be 20/20, but Miami drafted him over Russell Westbrook and Kevin Love. (Why, God? Why?)

There are more recent examples, too — one of them being Shabazz Napier, from the 2014 NBA Draft.

We can get into the details, like the fact that drafting in the 20’s is nearly impossible to predict — or that LeBron James, as he was set to hit unrestricted free agency, tweeted his love for Napier as a prospect multiples times during March Madness that year.

He even went as far as to tweet the following on draft night, when the Charlotte Hornets selected the diminutive point guard at No. 24:

(If James had known Charlotte took Napier just to trade him to Miami, do you think he still would have sent that tweet out? I, for one, sincerely doubt it.)

Well, as we all know, the former UConn man’s time in South Florida didn’t last long. Just one season later, he was dealt to the Orlando Magic for next to nothing — another first round pick essentially wasted.

What’s most unfortunate about the whole predicament, though, is how close it was to being avoided. On Sunday, the Sun Sentinel’s (and Heat beat legend) Ira Winderman released a wonderful piece on a longtime scout for the organization, Adam Simon. In it, he detailed how Simon, back in 2014, was in charge of overseas scouting.

And how he made a strong push for the Heat to target another player in the late first round — current Houston Rockets center Clint Capela. In Winderman’s own words:

"The resume, however, is real. He had pushed for the Heat to go for emerging Houston Rockets center Clint Capela when the Heat instead drafted Shabazz Napier in the first round of the 2014 draft. “Adam was a huge fan of Capela, and he was right on,” Chet Kammerer said. “That one sticks out.”"

Capela may not be a household name yet, but that doesn’t mean he’s not one of the most promising young big men in the NBA. In 2016-17, he averaged 12.6 points, 8.1 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game on 64.3 percent shooting.

Furthermore, he finished the season scoring 1.14 points per possession as the pick-and-roll “roll man,” a clip that places him ahead of All-NBA First Team center Anthony Davis. Not to mention he’s still merely 23 years old, yet already showing flashes of greatness on pretty big stages:

The Swiss center is already really freaking good, with an even brighter future ahead…and he was almost drafted by the Heat. (Ouch.)

Had that come to fruition, it’s interesting to consider how recent history would have unfolded. With Capela on the roster, would Miami have felt the need to give Hassan Whiteside that infamous first 10-day contract during the 2015 season?

What’s more, Capela is signed through 2019 on an extremely team-friendly deal worth $6.1 million over four years. Instead, the Heat are paying Whiteside the max to man the paint. Riley would have a lot more flexibility in free agency this summer had Capela been the pick in 2014.

Unfortunately, the pleas from Simon went unheard and Napier was the selection. Bad luck, sure, but also a feeble attempt to appease James.

Next: 5 Options for the Miami Heat in the 2017 NBA Draft

Thankfully, there are presently no star players around in need of mollification. And with Miami’s judgement less clouded, the 2017 NBA Draft will likely go more favorably for the franchise.