4. Multiplying picks
Miami gets: No. 15, No. 26, Meyers Leonard
Portland gets: No. 14
According to reports, the Trail Blazers could be shopping one of their three first-round picks in order to unload one of the regrettable contracts they signed last season. Meyers Leonard and Moe Harkless will each be making more than $10 million in each of the next three seasons, and Portland is operating with one of the largest payrolls in the NBA.
That’s where the Heat swoop in, offering to swap the 14th selection for 15, 26 and Leonard. Miami would obviously be overpaying for Leonard, but he’s just 25 years old, and plays a position of need. He’s a stretch-4/5 who could potentially pair well with Dragic. The Heat, with more than $30 million in cap space, have the money to burn.
Meanwhile, the Heat would be sliding down one measly spot and acquiring an additional first-round pick (and maybe Riley could talk them into the 20th pick, instead of 26). For a team without many draft picks for the next several years, that’s valuable. The Heat in this case would be turning one pick into two picks and a young player.