With the Heat still very much in the mix as a Kevin Durant trade partner with the Suns, there’s no guarantee that they’ll be selecting at their allotted spot of the 20th pick in the 2025 draft. However, that hasn’t deterred them from approaching their first-round draft preparation as usual, writes Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel.
Winderman adds that there’s a lot of potential volatility in the Heat’s draft range. The 16th pick has already moved from Orlando to Memphis, while Minnesota, at 17, is also firmly in the Durant mix, and the 18th and 19th picks, belonging to Washington and Brooklyn, respectively, could both be considered trade-up candidates as the teams both have multiple first-round picks and could be seeking a higher initial draft spot.
The Heat have declined to advertise their pre-draft workouts, unlike many teams, which has led to speculation that they’re focusing more on Durant. But Winderman writes that just because the sessions aren’t being announced doesn’t mean there isn’t due diligence happening in the shadows.
We have more on the Heat’s draft outlook:
- As for who the Heat could select should they stay at 20, Miami Herald writer Anthony Chiang has a trio of articles detailing potential prospects. When it comes to guard options, Chiang writes that most, if not all of Walter Clayton Jr. (Flordia), Egor Demin (BYU), Kasparas Jakucionis (Illinois), Jase Richardson (Michigan State), and Nolan Traore (Saint-Quentin) are expected to be available, though he views Demin and Jakucionis as most likely to be off the board at 20.
- If Miami decides to prioritize a wing, Chiang says that the most likely field of candidates include Nique Clifford (CSU), Cedric Coward (Washington State), Liam McNeeley (UConn), Drake Powell (UNC), Will Riley (Illinois), Adou Thiero (Arkansas), Hugo Gonzalez (Real Madrid), and Noah Penda (Le Mans). Coward is considered one of the draft’s major risers and is a real threat to go in the lottery. Clifford’s combination of size, age, and well-rounded skill could make him a prospect of interest to teams looking to find a more ready-made contributor.
- Finally, Chiang looks at the draft’s big men prospects. Names that could be on the board at 20 include Rasheer Fleming (Saint Joseph), Ryan Kalkbrenner (Creighton), Collin Murray-Boyles (South Carolina), Asa Newell (Georgia), Maxime Raynaud (Stanford), Thomas Sorber (Georgetown), Danny Wolf (Michigan), Joan Beringer (Cedevita Olimpija), and Noa Essengue (Ulm). Of that group, Murray-Boyles and Essengue are the most consistently considered to have the potential to go in the lottery, while Beringer has become an increasingly popular name for teams in the middle of the first round after measuring in at an impressive 6’11” barefoot with a 7’5″ wingspan.