NBA Draft watch: The Heat start bringing in undrafted guys. Blazers provide a Lillard update
Greetings on this NBA Draft day! With the 18th overall choice, the Miami Heat will start Thursday night’s draft (8 p.m., ESPN). The Oklahoma City Thunder will receive the 50th overall choice in the second round of this year’s draft, which the Heat do not own due to prior deals. However, Miami’s $6.4 million to acquire such a choice may let it buy its way into the second round. If the Heat retain that pick, then No. 18 will undoubtedly be the center of attention, but Miami’s future may also be affected by the third overall pick.
This is due to the possibility that Portland Trail Blazers star guard Damian Lillard may ask for a trade depending on how they handle the No. 3 choice in this year’s draft. Although Lillard has not yet made a formal request to be traded by the Trail Blazers, the Heat are anticipated to be one of the clubs who will make an effort to acquire him should he become available. What will happen to the Heat on draft day? As the undrafted commitments start to roll in, we’ll have live updates for you here all night long and into the early morning.
2:40 a.m.: Justin Powell, a guard from Washington State who shot 41.9 percent in three college seasons—one each at Auburn, Tennessee, and Washington State—agreed to a summer league contract with the Heat late on Thursday night, starting the process of signing undrafted rookies. Draftexpress.com reported on Powell’s agreement.
Powell made 42.6 percent of his three-pointers (78 of 183) and scored 10.4 points per game while playing for the Cougars last season. He averaged 2.8 assists and 3.9 rebounds. According to draftexpress.com, rookie center Patrick Gardner of Marist, who was not selected, committed to a summer league contract with Miami. During the previous season, the 6-11 prospect averaged 19.1 points, 6.6 rebounds, and one block. He can shoot three points; in the previous season, he made 57 of 149 threes, or 38.7 percent. Moreover, draftexpress.com reports that the Heat will sign rookie forward Taylor Funk from Utah State, who was not selected, to a summer league contract. In his sixth season of collegiate basketball, Funk, who is 6 feet 8 inches tall, averaged 13.4 points and 5.5 rebounds while shooting 37.3 percent from three point range (81 for 219) at Utah State.
Funk spent the previous five seasons as a student at St. Joseph’s, where he shot 35.3 percent from three-point range and averaged 12.0 points. Additionally, according to ESPN, the Heat and Villanova’s undrafted guard Caleb Daniels (6-4, 210 pounds) have signed to a summer league and training camp deal. Before moving to Villanova, Daniels played his first two years of college ball at Tulane, where he averaged 14.2 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game last season while shooting 39.4 percent from the field and 75 of 226 (33.2 percent) from three-point range. During his first season at Villanova in 2020–21, Daniels shot 44 of 114 (38.6 percent) from beyond the arc and 59 of 158 (37.3 percent) from beyond the arc. Daniels was a more effective three-point shooter early in his collegiate career.
Finally, according to ESPN, the Heat and USC undrafted forward Drew Peterson (6-9, 205 pounds) agreed to an Exhibit 10 deal. During his senior year, he shot 44.6 percent from the field and 42 of 116 (36.2 percent) from three-point range, averaging 14 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 4.5 assists per game. Peterson attended Rice for his first year of college before moving to USC before the 2020–21 campaign. 1:25 in the morning: Damian Lillard and Portland Trail Blazers general manager Joe Cronin had a lengthy conversation about potential trades on Tuesday, but it doesn’t seem like Lillard has decided on his future yet. According to Cronin, the goal is still to develop around Lillard.
