Miami Heat: 2018 NBA Draft grades
The Miami Heat didn’t have a pick in the 2018 NBA Draft. Let’s take a look back at what got them to this point and whether or not it was worth it.
The Miami Heat watched the 2018 NBA Draft from the sidelines, having traded away their rights to a selection three years ago. The Heat traded away their 2018 first round pick to the Phoenix Suns in 2015. The trade was part of a deal that resulted in Miami acquiring Goran Dragic.
The three-team deal sent the 2018 pick, an unprotected 2021 first-rounder and Danny Granger to Phoenix in return for Dragic. Miami also sent Norris Cole, Shawne Williams and Justin Hamilton to the New Orleans Pelicans. With Miami making the playoffs this year, the top-seven protected pick was officially awarded to Phoenix.
The Heat were also without their 2018 second round pick due to another three-team trade in 2016, in which they gave up Chris Andersen and two second round picks for Brian Roberts from the Charlotte Hornets.
Looking back at these deals, Miami has to be kicking itself. Dragic was coming off a Most Improved Player award when the Haet acquired him, and team president Pat Riley had high expectations for him. According to ESPN, Riley saw this move as “another step in getting the Miami Heat back to real championship prominence.”
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Dragic has been serviceable in his four years with Miami, but he did not turn out to be the cornerstone talent at the point guard position that Riley and many others had hoped. His career averages of 13.7 points and 4.8 assists per game are just not that impressive, especially in a league with so many elite point guards.
To be fair, Dragic has averaged 17.2 points, 5.4 assists and 3.9 rebounds per game over four seasons in Miami, but he isn’t getting any younger at age 32 either. Looking back, Miami must be wishing it could have those two first round draft picks back to help rebuild from scratch.
On Thursday night, the Suns traded both aforementioned first round picks to the Philadelphia 76ers for the rights to move up to pick No. 10, Mikal Bridges. Bridges is the kind of huge-upside player that Miami could possibly have been looking at had they held on to their picks instead of going for a win-now approach three years ago. Now the Heat are paying the price.
They find themselves in the dreaded no man’s land of NBA mediocrity. They are not good enough to contend for a championship (or even to make it out of the first round of the playoffs), but they are not bad enough to properly tank and acquire a possible future franchise player in the draft. Their decision to sacrifice future for the present has set them back from their quest to contend for championships.
Next: Complete 2018 NBA Draft grades for all 30 teams
Grade: D+