The Miami Heat have had a pretty impressive record with the NBA Draft recently, but one of their few misses of late is probably Precious Achiuwa. Still, it's pretty shocking that he's not currently on an NBA roster at the moment. It would be a near crime if he didn't get another shot in the league before the start of training camp.
Achiuwa was selected with the No. 20 overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft. He didn't play much during his rookie season in Miami and was ultimately part of the sign-and-trade deal that landed Kyle Lowry with the Heat.
After two and a half years in Toronto, he was traded to New York as part of the OG Anunoby trade. During his time in New York, Achiuwa emerged as a useful backup big. As for now, there's no guarantee he's going to be re-signed by the Knicks.
But for a player with his unique skill set, and at just 25 years old, there's no question he deserves an opportunity to prove his worth once again. Could the Heat be an option?
Precious Achiuwa wouldn't be a fit on the Heat
Even though there's an argument to be made that the Heat could use a backup big, I'm not sure if taking a flier on Achiuwa would emerge as a potential answer for the team. And it's not even the fact that Achiuwa was somewhat of an underwhelming player during his rookie season in Miami. It goes beyond just that.
For the type of big that the Heat would theoretically be looking for, Achiuwa doesn't fit the bill. Miami would be looking for a rim-protecting big that could play next to some of their more versatile forwards. The Heat has several players on their roster who could fill the role of Achiuwa.
The Heat would likely be seeking a bigger body with a more defensive-minded approach.
Nothing against Achiuwa, but there are probably other big men options the Heat would visit first, before even thinking about going down this route. And even then, there's not even a guarantee that the Heat will fill their final open roster spot before the start of the 2025-26 NBA season.
Miami certainly has a plan. The fan base may not completely agree with it, but there's certainly some method to how the Heat have operated so far this offseason. At this point, you can't help but wonder if part of keeping flexibility revolves around keeping a roster spot open.
One thing's for sure, though. And it's that even though it's almost certainly not going to come on the Heat, Achiuwa still deserves another shot in the NBA.