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5 Stars the Miami Heat missed drafting by a single pick

The NBA draft is a pivotal part of each NBA offseason. The Miami Heat have made several homerun draft picks, but there have also been some blunders.

By Daniel Riccio

Philadelphia 76ers v New York Knicks - Game Five
Philadelphia 76ers v New York Knicks - Game Five / Elsa/GettyImages
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4. Bogdan Bogdanovic

Bogdan Bogdanovic
Atlanta Hawks v Chicago Bulls - Play-In Tournament / Jamie Sabau/GettyImages

The 2014 NBA draft was the start of an offseason domino effect that led to the departure of LeBron James in Miami. James was very vocal and confident in his vouching for the Heat’s draft selection with their 26th overall pick. He felt very highly on Shabazz Napier, who had early potential to be a solid NBA point guard,

The Heat drafted PJ Hairston at 26 but traded up a couple of picks to land Napier to please James. The Phoenix Suns picked Bogdan Bogdanovic immediately after, 27th overall. Bogdanovic has put together a nice career as a shooter with some finesse to his offensive game.

The Serbian sharpshooter is coming off a 2023-2024 season with averages of 16.9 points (career-high) on 43% shooting and 37% from 3-point range. Back in 2021, Bogdanovic shot 44% from deep on the season.

With Napier only lasting one season in South Beach and never truly developing during his career, this was surely a draft pick that Heat representatives would take back.

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