5. Norris Cole
Cole was a first-round pick in 2011 who was traded twice on draft night to end up in Miami. The Heat had just lost to the Mavericks in the NBA Finals and were searching for young talent to improve their roster. Cole played four years of college basketball at Cleveland State and was immediately ready to jump into the rotation.
The 6’2 guard had several ups and downs during his time with the Heat. He was in the Rising Stars game as a rookie before falling to the fringes of the rotation in the playoffs. Cole arguably had his best season in year two as the Heat made it back-to-back NBA championships. He played more in year three, but his production stagnated as Miami fell to the Spurs in the NBA Finals.
LeBron returned to Cleveland in 2014, and Cole was the Heat’s opening night starter next to Dwyane Wade in the backcourt. The 6’2 guard opened his first 22 games played but was averaging 6.7 points, 3.4 assists, 2.4 rebounds, and 1.1 steals in 25.3 minutes per game. Cole shot 37.9 percent from the field and 25.5 percent on his threes over that stretch. He was demoted to the bench and traded to the Pelicans at the deadline.
Norris Cole played just two more years in the NBA before heading overseas. He made 35 of his 60 career starts with the Miami Heat, but the 6’2 guard was a reserve at best.