The Miami Heat have been around for 27 years and have been one of the more successful franchises in the NBA during that time frame. To the Heat's credit, they already have three championships and five NBA Finals appearances on their resume. Only the Chicago Bulls, Los Angeles Lakers and San Antonio Spurs have had more success in regards to raising championship banners. Much to the credit of current Heat President Pat Riley, the Heat have largely been an Eastern Conference powerhouse since Riley initially joined the organization as head coach in 1995. During the late 90's, the franchise was an annual contender, reaching its first conference finals in 1997 when they matched up with the Michael Jordan-led Bulls. A few years later in the mid 2000's, the Dwyane Wade-Shaquille O'Neal pairing led to Miami's first NBA championship. Years later, the acquisitions of LeBron James and Chris Bosh gave the Heat its first "dynasty" when the team won two championships and made four consecutive NBA Finals appearances. While the organization has had much success despite being so young, much of its glory has been due to free agent and trade acquisitions rather than savvy drafting. However, there are a few gems in the Heat's history of drafting. Here are the top 10 draft picks in franchise history. 10. Matt Geiger, C, 1992 Draft, Round 2, 42nd Overall Matt Geiger was a late-round draft selection of the Heat back during the franchise's "infancy" era. Despite being a late selection, Geiger would end up having a solid NBA career, retiring in 2002 after playing 10 total seasons. It was in Miami where Geiger began his career, having played a total of three seasons in South Florida. He played largely a backup role, before starting 43 games during the 1994-95 season. During his tenure in Miami, he averaged 7.0 points and 4.3 rebounds on 55 percent shooting. Perhaps his most notable contribution to the franchise was being packaged with a number of other players in the trade acquisition of Alonzo Mourning in November of 1995. It was this trade that catapulted the Heat into being an Eastern Conference powerhouse during the latter half of the decade. Next: Rasual Butler [xyz-ihs snippet="Responsive-Ad"] [xyz-ihs snippet="Responsive-Image-Only"] 9. Rasual Butler, SF, 2002 Draft, Round 2, 53rd Overall Rasual Butler is another round two selection that ended up being the ultimate value pick. 13 years after he was initially selected by the Heat, Butler continues to play a key role on an NBA squad having played for the Washington Wizards during the 2014-15 season. Butler played three years in Miami, and his stats aren't anything special—he averaged 6.9 PPG on 36 percent from three-point range. However, he did play a key role on the 2004-05 squad which was one game away from the NBA Finals. Butler would later be traded in a five-team trade in 2005 that led to the Heat acquiring James Posey, Jason Williams and Antoine Walker. All three players would play major roles in the franchise's first championship in 2006. Next: Caron Butler [xyz-ihs snippet="Responsive-Ad"] [xyz-ihs snippet="Responsive-Image-Only"] 8. Caron Butler, SF, 2002 Draft, Round 1, 10th Overall Caron Butler was one of those draft picks that made an immediate impact during his rookie season. On four separate occasions Butler was named Rookie of the Month in his first season in the NBA. He averaged 15.3 points per game during the 2002-03 campaign, and was one of the few bright spots of a lowly 25-win campaign for the franchise that season. The small forward continued to play a pivotal role in his second season in Miami, averaging 12.8 points while starting all 13 postseason games during the team's playoff run in 2004. Butler's career in South Beach was cut short when he was traded in a package deal for the Los Angeles Lakers' Shaquille O'Neal during the summer of 2004. In spite of this, Butler continues to be a mainstay on an NBA roster having completed his 13th professional season with the Detroit Pistons in 2015. Next: Steve Smith [xyz-ihs snippet="Responsive-Ad"] [xyz-ihs snippet="Responsive-Image-Only"] 7. Steve Smith, SG, 1991 Draft, Round 1, 5th Overall Many fans don't remember, but it was in Miami where Steve Smith began his NBA career. Before he became an All-Star and an NBA champion, Smith spent the first three seasons of his career in South Beach. From the onset, the shooting guard displayed a propensity to score when he averaged 16.0 points per contest in his sophomore campaign before boosting that per game average to 17.3 in his third season in the league. Two games into the 1994-95 season, Smith was traded to Atlanta for Kevin Willis and a 1996 first-round draft pick. Smith would finish his career with the Heat in 2005 as part of the team's push to the Eastern Conference Finals. Next: Kevin Edwards [xyz-ihs snippet="Responsive-Ad"] [xyz-ihs snippet="Responsive-Image-Only"] 6. Kevin Edwards, SG, 1988 Draft, Round 1, 20th Overall Kevin Edwards was the team's second draft pick in franchise history during its inaugural draft in 1988. Edwards spent five full seasons in the red and black, and his presence is still felt on the franchise career leaders list over 20 years after he last played for the Heat. He ranks in the top 10 in assists, steals and two-point field goals as of this writing. The shooting guard's play off the bench during the 1991-92 campaign (10.1 PPG) gave the Heat its first playoff appearance in franchise history. Next: Sherman Douglas [xyz-ihs snippet="Responsive-Ad"] [xyz-ihs snippet="Responsive-Image-Only"] 5. Sherman Douglas, PG, 1989 Draft, Round 2, 28th Overall Despite being just a second-round draft choice, Douglas was one of the main components of the franchise during its early days. He averaged 14.3 PPG and 7.6 APG in his rookie season, which landed him a spot on the NBA's All-Rookie First Team. During his second season in 1990-91 he was even better as he posted 18.5 PPG and 8.5 APG and was named the team's most valuable player. Because of his early success, he held out for a better contract before the 1991-92 season. He played five games that season before being dealt to the Boston Celtics for Brian Shaw. To this day Douglas ranks sixth on the franchise list for total assists and first in assists per game (7.9). Next: Grant Long [xyz-ihs snippet="Responsive-Ad"] [xyz-ihs snippet="Responsive-Image-Only"] 4. Grant Long, F, 1988 Draft, Round 2, 33rd Overall Perhaps the Heat's greatest value pick of all-time was none other than the selection of Grant Long with the 33rd overall pick in the 1988 NBA Draft. Long was an all-around threat at the power forward position, as he consistently ranked near the top in rebounds and steals for the team while averaging double digits in points. From 1988 until the beginning of the 1994-95 season when he was traded, Long was the team's starting power forward. He was there during the gloomy days when the team was winning only 15 games a season, to the time the team broke through and made its first playoff appearances in 1992 and 1994. He ranks in the top seven in numerous franchise categories, including games played, minutes played and rebounds. Next: Rony Seikaly [xyz-ihs snippet="Responsive-Ad"] [xyz-ihs snippet="Responsive-Image-Only"] 3. Rony Seikaly, C, 1988 Draft, Round 1, 9th Overall Now is when we finally get to the cream of the crop. Rony Seikaly was the team's first draft selection in 1988 and he was an absolute beast from the very beginning. The Lebanese star was the team's starting center for six full seasons and averaged 15.4 points, 10.4 boards and 1.4 blocks during that time frame. To this day, Seikaly still ranks in the top five in points, rebounds and free throws in franchise history. The center's career with Miami came to an end when he was traded to the Golden State Warriors right at the start of the 1994-95 season. Next: Glen Rice [xyz-ihs snippet="Responsive-Ad"] [xyz-ihs snippet="Responsive-Image-Only"] 2. Glen Rice, 1989 Draft, Round 1, 4th Overall Arguably the team's first true "superstar," Glen Rice was a scoring sensation during his six seasons in Miami. In three of his six years with the Heat, Rice averaged over 21 points per game. He ranked in the top 10 in the league in points, three-point field goals and three-point percentage on several occasions during that period. His 56 points versus the Orlando Magic during the 1994-95 season was a high for any player that season. Up until 2014, Rice's 56 points scored versus the Magic remained a franchise record for most points scored in a single game. Next: Dwyane Wade [xyz-ihs snippet="Responsive-Ad"] [xyz-ihs snippet="Responsive-Image-Only"] 1. Dwyane Wade, 2003 Draft, Round 1, 5th Overall As if there was any question as to who would be No. 1 on this list, it's none other than Dwyane Wade. It would almost be redundant to list all the reasons why Wade is No. 1. To make a long story short, here are the reasons why—franchise leader in points, games, minutes, assists and steals. He led the Heat to their first championship in 2006 when he was named the Finals MVP. He was the second option on two more championship teams in 2012 and 2013. He has played his entire career in Miami, and it looks as if he'll end his career where it began. It was the selection of Wade with the No. 5 pick in the 2003 Draft that will go down as the greatest decision in franchise history. [xyz-ihs snippet="Responsive-Ad"]
