At the moment, the Miami Heat are the owners of the No. 27 overall pick in the upcoming 2022 NBA Draft.
While the Heat could certainly use that pick to select a valuable role player to add to their roster, one recent report indicates that the team could just as likely trade the pick away.
“Rival teams believe there’s a good chance the Heat ultimately trade this pick, considering their salary cap situation and their knack for uncovering and developing undrafted talent,” wrote Jeremy Woo of Sports Illustrated.
The Heat just competed in the Eastern Conference Finals and clearly have a roster that is capable of competing at a very high level. Miami was just one win away from making it to the NBA Finals.
For that reason, Heat team president Pat Riley and the rest of the team’s front office may be interested in seeing if they can use that pick to trade for a veteran who can come in and help the Heat get over the hump.
As the pick is rather late in the first round of the draft, it alone would likely not be enough to net a player of much value for the Heat. However, if the pick is packaged in a larger deal, it could help the Heat acquire a solid player.
As confetti from the Golden State Warriors’ championship parade gets swept away in the Bay Area, the rest of the league is already looking ahead to what will surely be a very busy offseason.
Whether or not one move this offseason includes the Heat trading away their first-round pick remains to be seen.