ESPN Analyst Sheds Light On Miami Heat Losing Future Draft Picks Amid Losing Streak

The Miami Heat are having one of their worst seasons in recent memory.

Their inability to close out games and sustain leads has caused them to lose four consecutive games and lead the league with their ninth loss when leading by at least 15 points. 

Even worse, the Heat face eight teams over the next eleven games that have better records. The other three teams the Heat have better records than are no longer games fans can expect this group to take care of following back-to-back losses to the Chicago Bulls and Charlotte Hornets.

ESPN analyst Bobby Marks shared some information on the Heat’s 2025 draft pick situation, depending on how they finish the season with 18 games remaining.

“With their fourth loss in a row, Miami now sits in ninth place (one game in the loss column behind seventh),” Marks said. “The Heat retain their first if they don’t advance to the first-round. However, they will send an unprotected 2026 first to OKC and 2028 unprotected first to Charlotte.”

The Heat have another 2025 first-round pick, which they received in the Jimmy Butler trade.

MIAMI HEAT’S KEL’EL WARE GETS HIGH PRAISE IN ROOKIE RATINGS

Amid rebuilds in the NBA, consistent winning is always challenging when a team moves on from its best player.

This was the case for the Miami Heat, who traded Jimmy Butler to the Golden State Warriors on Feb. 5. Fans didn’t have much to cheer for beyond Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo until Kel’el Ware finally earned a starting position.

Ware has averaged 8.7 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks on 54.8 percent shooting and 34.2 percent from three-point range.

He has displayed great chemistry alongside Herro, giving him another lob threat whenever he drives to the basket. Ware’s connection with Adebayo is even better because the Heat have had a defensive rating of 108.3 when they’re both on the court, which ranks second in the league. As the starting center, it has allowed Adebayo to focus on his offense much more as a power forward, which has resulted in one of the best stretches of his career.

Ware ranked high in Grant Hughes from Bleacher Report’s rookie grades.

“An athletic and powerful finisher inside, Ware also showcases just enough stretch potential to kindle excitement about his offensive ceiling,” Hughes said. “A 34.2 percent hit rate on threes may not seem like much, but when paired with Ware’s interior finishing, solid rebound rates (76th percentile on the defensive glass), and shot-blocking, it more than suffices.”

Ware received an A-minus grade.

“If he keeps this up, the 7-footer will likely finish among the top five in Rookie of the Year voting,” Hughes explained. “Not bad for a No. 15 pick.”

BILL SIMMONS CLAIMS TERRY ROZIER MAY BE THE “WORST ROTATIONAL PLAYER” IN NBA

The Kyle Lowry for Terry Rozier trade last year went from seemingly a steal for the Miami Heat to an absolute waste of a first-round pick for second-round pick production.

Last season, while on the Charlotte Hornets, Rozier played the best basketball of his career. He averaged 23.2 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 6.6 assists on 45.9 percent shooting and 35.8 percent from three-point range. Rozier had career highs in points, assists, and two-point percentage.

Once traded to the Heat, his numbers decreased in several categories, which was expected considering he went from a top-two option with the Hornets to sharing the court with three 20-point scorers in Tyler Herro, Jimmy Butler, and Bam Adebayo.

It’s a year later, and Rozier has only gotten significantly worse. On The Bill Simmons Podcast, Simmons hosted a draft of the worst contracts in the NBA with Ethan Strauss and Wosny Lambre. They explained Rozier’s remaining two years for a $51.5 million contract as one of their highest picks in this draft. Strauss explained why he understood the appeal for trading for Rozier’s production in Charlotte, even though it has been to the Heat’s detriment this season.

“On the face of it, $25 million bucks for a shooting guard who is capable of being a prolific scorer is okay,” Strauss said. “The problem is, we have a sizzle reel from this season that shows him actively undermining the ability of the Miami Heat to win basketball games.” 

Simmons went into greater detail and questioned if he can still play the sport effectively based on watching him play this season.

“It looks like he completely lost his ability to play basketball,” Simmons explained. “I looked up when they made the trade last year because I remember thinking, getting for what they gave up, I would much rather do that than give all the (expletive) you had to for Damian Lillard, which included Tyler Herro. When they traded for him last year, he played 30 Charlotte games: 23.2 points, 36 percent from three, and he was playing awesome. This year, his stats are almost half: 11.8 points a game, shooting 40 percent, and shooting 29 percent from three. Eye test wise, he might be the worst rotation guy in the league.”

Bryan Townes is a contributor to Miami Heat On SI. He can be reached at [email protected] or on X @bryantownesjr11. Follow our coverage on Facebook