The Miami Heat seem to find themselves in no man's land heading into the NBA Draft. After pursuing Kevin Durant and failing, they have since been linked to even more rumors as Heat fans seem to want leadership to do "something" this offseason.
But the reality is that no single player on the market at this point is going to save Miami from its reality in 2025-26, and rather than trying to prove how smart they are, the Heat might just be better off making the obvious pick in the draft.
Walter Clayton Jr. is a prime target for the Miami Heat
The new rumbling is that Miami is dangling Andrew Wiggins and the No. 20 pick out into the NBA Universe to see if anyone wants to make a deal prior to Wednesday night.
If the Heat got an expiring contract in return, one could squit and see merit in the deal. With Terry Rozier and Duncan Robinson also coming off the books after next season, Miami would have over $74 million to play with and could go big game hunting next offseason.
But if you are running around making deals hoping to set up for a big swing next season, you also run the risk of winding up of missing on that swing and being left in purgatory.
This is why the smartest move for Miami at this point is to do nothing with its No. 20 pick and draft Walter Clayton Jr.
Reports have come out that Clayton had workouts set up with multiple teams and canceled them. He has, however, had multiple workouts with the Heat over the last month.
Combined with Clayton getting a green room invite to the NBA Draft, there are a ton of tea leaves linking the Florida Gator with the Heat.
Of the players who will be available at No. 20, Clayton has the highest upside of them all. He was fearless during Florida's run through March Madness and drew multiple comparisons to Steph Curry this past season.
He moves well off the ball, has a lightning-fast catch-and-shoot, and while there are concerns about his defense, he still averaged over a steal a game.
If Miami needs someone who can score at will, Clayton has that potential.
And if Miami does keep Wiggins, it would still gain over $46.8 million in cap space with Rozier and Robinson alone next offseason.
The reality is that Miami needs more building blocks before it is going to contend, and rather than chase a band-aid, it can just do the smart thing and draft a building block this Wednesday.