The results are in, and the Miami Heat will officially be the No. 13 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.
Miami entered with a 92.9 percent chance at securing the No. 13 overall pick, while they had a 2.3 percent chance of moving back. Additionally, they had a 4.8 percent chance at securing a top-4 pick, including a one percent chance at No. 1 overall pick, which went to the Washington Wizards.
This marks the 12th time in 12 tries that the Heat failed to move up. Moreover, this is the second-straight time they will be picking 13th, the last time being 2019, when they drafted Tyler Herro.
Here are the full lottery results:
- 14. Charlotte Hornets
- 13. Miami Heat
- 12. Oklahoma City Thunder
- 11. Golden State Warriors
- 10. Milwaukee Bcks
- 9. Dallas Mavericks (moved down one spot)
- 8. Atlanta Hawks (down one spot)
- 7. Sacramento Kings (down two spots)
- 6. Brooklyn Nets (down three spots)
- 5. Los Angeles Clippers (they got Indiana’s pick!)
- 4. Chicago Bulls (up five spots)
- 3. Memphis Grizzlies (up three spots)
- 2. Utah Jazz (up two spots)
- 1. Washington Wizards
Heat will now have a decision to make:
It was always a slim chance that Miami would move up in the lottery. Now that we know their fortune, they will have an interesting decision ahead.
If there’s anything we know about this organization, the most realistic outcome is that they chase Giannis Antetokounmpo. That’s obvious. But while the Heat were the last team to communicate with the Bucks ahead of the trade deadline, there’s always the possibility that the two sides are unable to reach an agreement ahead of the draft, the Bucks’ self-imposed deadline.
If the Bucks don’t opt to take the Heat’s theoretical package of Tyler Herro, Kel’el Ware, three first-round picks (including 13th) and more, they now have an opportunity to pivot, whether that means pursuing Kawhi Leonard or another disgruntled star, whether it includes their draft night selection or not.
Who will be options for Heat at 13?
The Heat have, historically, been fairly comfortable drafting in the middle of the first round. Take Bam Adebayo, Herro and Kel’el Ware, for example, who were drafted 14, 13 and 15, respectively.
While there have been several names that withdrew their name (thanks, NIL), this draft is still expected to be one of the deepest in years, especially within the top-25.
Among the names that Miami should target include Brayden Burries, Labaron Philon, Chris Cenac Jr., Cam Carr, Tounde Yessoufou and Yaxel Lendeborg, among others.
Who do you hope the Heat draft?! Let us know in the comments!
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I read all the trade proposals, rumors, and speculation, and I think each one is true and will happen. So I look forward to next season when we will have Giannis, Ja, KD, Donovan Mitchell, Brown, and Kawhi. Championship here we come!
lol. just gotta make sure we don’t give up too many assets to make it happen!
I’m only willing to offer Jovic. 😀
Jovic for Giannis, then a second round pick for KD, and tyler herro for Mitchell. And if it doesn’t happen, Riley should be fired!
No bailout from the pingpong balls. I don’t know what the Heat are going to do. But I know they can’t run it back with the team they have now.
if we dont get giannis next year we wont even be a playin team.if we get giannis will battle for ecf.thats what a ss does.so id appreciate pat to keep my interests high on the team please get greek.im not into rebuilding.that process is unknown where it can go,getting greek puts us in the mix with another couple acquisitions.i enjoy e reid and rcs posts but w/o greek not as much.sorry rc
What am I chopped liver?
All the stars would need to align perfectly for Miami to be able to acquire the players capable of competing for the Eastern Championship. The NBA Championship with OKC And SA sitting there would be hard for any other NBA team.
I have seen a few trade ideas I will share later.
sorry your not during the game though but of course post game yor da best.dont discount minn with heir great d and a healthy ant man which he is not now.dont think nyk can beat any western teams nor not a giannis heat team.those are super teams led by 3 generational players and a great supporiting cast.sort of like hhh is led by u no doubt and a great to mediocre supporting cast
Thanks heat but I’m just a guy with a lot of time on my hands and a lot of opinions, not all of them right.
The Heat first needs to add two strong lottery picks (2026 & 2027), continue developing it’s young players, bring in a good PF/C to rotate with Ware and Bam and then add a ss to be half way competitive. That will take at least one more season and two more drafts.
Meanwhile, any assets (draft picks and young players) Miami can acquire by directly trading (or signing and trading) players such as Herro, Wiggins and Powell could help expedite the process.
ethan skolnick reporting heat are all in on giannis.they dont want to go young and build thru draft.thats not pats way out of the top 10 heaters all time besides wade all were acquired thru trades or fa.
Pat wants to go out in a blaze of glory ..even if it sets the Heat back for 10 years after he’s gone. He wants his name in the conversation even if he and everyone else knows Heat won’t have a chance in hell of winning it all.
not really sm hes gonna go down as a top 5 coach and gm history of nba.with wemby around okc still relativley young next 5 champ prob come from them anyway unless we get d wadeish type player
Pat’s cooked. His old school methods, don’t seem to work in the modern nba.
OKC – basically a home grown Super Star, acquired after a solid rookie season.
Boston Celtics – Tatum and Brown, both drafted and developed by Boston.
Denver – Jokic and Murray drafted and developed by Denver.
Warriors – Steph, Klay and Draymond drafted and developed by GSW
Bucks – Giannis drafted and developed by Milwaukee
The last champion that won’t with Super Stars that they acquired was the bubble Lakers. That was 6 years ago.
Also fewer and fewer teams are trading super stars. What you see is veteran stars like KD and Harden moved, more than players who can be franchise cornerstones.
A unlikely trade for Giannis would be exciting, but I’d caution that he’s unlikely to lead Miami to a title, given his age and injury history.
okc traded for sga hartensHtein caruso bost traded for jrue porzingis d white horford need both to have a winner the key is to get that joker steph giannis d wade type player and add on to them either trades or fa.im all in on greek for any 3 except leave us either bam or ware.think reileys thinking same way.if we get greek thats just the start to win a chip next 3 years.ill worry about 2030 when it arrives
On SGA, OKC traded Ibaka to ORL for Oladipo and Sabonis, traded Oladipo and Sabonis to IND for Paul George, traded Paul George to LAC for SGA and picks – nothing to do with the draft at all, just a great series of trades.
OKC fans if I remember right wanted OKC to tear down after Durant left in 2016, trade Westbrook etc, but Presti didn’t do that and was criticized as being delusional etc still trying to win with Westbrook and make the playoffs. They ended up going 47-35 and he was MVP that year, they were the 6th seed and lost 4-1 in the 1st round. Then they traded for Paul George that offseason.
Their title team now was built as much through trades (Shai, Caruso), free agency (IHart), and outside the draft (Lu Dort undrafted) as with lottery picks. They did hit it big in the lottery in 2022 (Chet #2, JDub #12), which required some luck with Orlando taking Banchero #1. But their best player and Finals MVP was acquired via trade and was not a high draft pick. Majority of Finals MVPs in the last 7 years (SGA, Jokic, Giannis, Kawhi) have been drafted outside the top 10. And only 4 of the 9 players you listed as homegrown stars were top 10 picks
And Ibaka himself was not a high pick, drafted #24 in 2008. So OKC traded for a Finals MVP in SGA ultimately totally independent of the draft lottery, starting with only one late FRP
easiest and most sure way to win besides drafting a no brainer ss wemby ant lebron etc is to acquire one with a good gm and get more via trades
Makes some sense.
SGA – First to all the folks saying SGA wasn’t drafted – If you read what I said, I said he was acquired after a solid rookie season. He however wasn’t a proven commodity when they traded for him. The post was about how teams develop and keep super stars. Miami refuses to do anything but build a team to not fail. They haven’t had a single player drafted as high as Shai on their rookie deal, since what Michael Beasley?
Also, nothing to do with the draft is pretty crazy.
Jalen, Chet, Ajay and Cason.
That’s their #2, 3, 4, and 6th scoring leaders. But sure, having built a team through trades, that valued draft picks, versus aging stars, isn’t important.
Pat pulled a vodoo magic trick with this fanbase. So much so they think the draft isn’t important and picking high isn’t better than picking in the middle of the round each and every year
I have noted on a couple of occasions that a majority of the greatest players in NBA history were top 6 picks. To name just a few, LeBron, Kareem, Magic, Hakeem, Russell, Jordan, Bird, Wade, Doncic , Barkley, CP3, KG, and many more.
Draft only doesn’t matter around here cause Pat says so. And media along with the fans eat it up
Point is that SGA trade for OKC had nothing to do with the draft lottery at all. It was from trades starting with the #24 pick (Ibaka). And if OKC had tanked in 2016-17 as many fans wanted rather than “treadmilling” trying to win but going 47-35, Paul George would not have wanted to sign there in 2017 and they would not have SGA now.
Of course OKC has used the draft including lottery picks to build their team, but their most important player and league MVP was not acquired through the draft. So it’s not that the draft isn’t important, of course it is, it’s that there are multiple ways to build a team beyond just deliberately tanking for years and hoping to get lucky with getting high picks in the draft lottery.
process in philly looked alive and then pfffffft with a small whimper
And they are stuck with Embiid for another 3 seasons and 193 million $. And PG is under contract for 2 more years and 111 million. Crazy stuff.
Wemby ejected for flagrant 2. Not good for Spurs, not smart by Wemby.
yep but Spurs fighting. dogs need to take advantage while alien is not available
Well, things went as expected.,We will still get a shot at a good, useful player. The thirteen pick is still a little more likely to yield a rotation guy and not a starter, but only by a tiny bit, and with this years depth,, we can perhaps get a player who will eventually become a starter.
On a more realistic note, the whale watch, particularly for Giannis, is about as unlikely as our chance to move up in the draft. If today’s results tell us anything, we should learn to not expect unlikely things.
However, having said that, we could use an old fashioned Riley fleecing very much this offseason. Every now and then the Godfather works his magic.
Otherwise, going to have to build this team the slow, steady, incremental growth method, which could take a while.
Hope everyone had a nice Mothers Day with your families.
Bucks: nah that’s too far unless you throw in Bam.
Trade Tyler, fake Bam injury to tank and others…
Plot twist – they win 48 games gets the #6 seed lol
Some here, myself included, talk about the caveats of spending big money on aging players. The Sixers are a prime example. Embiid is under contract through the 28-29 season at an average of $62.5m per year. PG is under contract through the 27-28 seasons at an average of $55m per year. That’s a disaster. Does anyone think they’re going to a championship in the next 2-3 years? I hope the Heat don’t make the same mistake.
If the Heat were paying Embiid money, max money, I would agree.
Arguably, if Philadelphia has a better starting unit than Miami and it is getting swept, would the Heat with Giannis do any better?
if embid was healthy phily would be in finals.if greek is healthy and an addition or two we can be in finals no doubt about it
Does anyone think Miami would win a championship in 2026-2027 or any time after with Giannis and without Herro, Jaquez, Ware and 3-4 picks plus 2 pick swaps?
anything can happen. i might win the US lottery accidentally while im here lol
A broken clock is right two times a day. Hope in one hand and ……..
ecf maybe champ with greek damar ja bam norm wigg possibly id like to find out
So after paying Giannis his $60m and Bam his $53m, how do you propose to pay Ja and the others? I know. You don’t know or care, but it likely isn’t possible. Salary cap next season is about $165m, first apron $209m. So you have to add a minimum of 12 more players for about $96m total (first apron). Add Ja’s $42m and you now have about $55m for 11 players. To quote SM, that dog won’t hunt.
No apparent changes to Giannis trade situation from the lottery, all of the teams in the top 4 are rebuilding. GSW with their 9.4% chance at top 4 didn’t move up, good news for the Heat.
Atlanta has the assets. So do Charlotte, OKC and others.
Those teams don’t have the right age mix for Giannis, the Heat does. And a better on court fit than most teams, with the Heat having no one who has to play on the ball all the time to be effective on offense.
greek doent want to go to atl charl doubt okc unless hes ring chasing and be second fiddle to sga.miami is an intl city.weather is similar to athens.greek likes the culture here.we have as good a shot as anybody not named new york,we have to root for ny to win it all then i believe greek is ours.pat really wants him so should any heat fan
Time to say goodbye to the Philadelphia Pretenders. Raise your hand if you were one of the people who thought they could win the East. You know who you are. Maybe they’re still going through the ‘process’? Is Maxey getting tired of losing year after year? Maybe he’d be happier in a nicer warm weather city?
I said very clearly they would not get past the Knicks. But, I did predict they would beat the Celts. You gave me no respect at all. I shouldn’t be surprised, story of my life. My wife met me at the door in a negligee when I came home from work. But, when she saw me she said, “Oh, it’s you”.
Of course I could respect that call, just not the other stuff. And I think it is equally possible that the Celtics could have won if Tatum was not hurt. Hey, I totally understand. My ex used to always say the same thing to me after making love – “I’ll be home in 30 minutes.”
A bunch of regular comedians. OK heat, time for you to talk about your wife or your ex. You’re among friends.
Lmao. At least you weren’t greeted by the other guy leaving.
You should say the same before her.
We were doing old Rodney Dangerfield jokes.
Yup!
This is the culmination of the 76ers 15 year rebuilding “process”.
Karma is a bitch. Shameless tanking is something the universe will never forget. Philly is destined for second round or lower forever.
What the Heat did to be destined to play in?
they had a 4 year ss suddenly quit on them
So Jimmy curse you say?
You are up to something.
with joel no shot,hes the most injured player in any sport last decade.maybe throw porzingis in there whos not near joels level
He was so immobile last evening. The camera caught him at times where he was standing right next to Knick players and was unable to help out. Embiid is trying as hard as he can, but his body won’t let him. And he will surely ve back to try again next year as anyone with his salary will give it everything he’s got. But, it’s iffy whether he will ever recover.
I still like Yaxel for his versatility. From Google:
Yaxel Lendeborg can play center, particularly as a versatile, small-ball center at the next level. Standing 6’9″ and weighing 240 lbs with a 7’3″ wingspan, he is considered a strong defender capable of anchoring the post, switching onto guards, and acting as a high-level rebounder
His more natural positions are pf and sf.
I think friggin poor boys of the NBA, OKC, will steal him before the draft gets to #13. Heat will be forced to take the best of what is left… probably a PF/C type.
Laws of statistics. As I said, a lot of good players in this draft, but no future superstars. No. 13 can be as good as 5-10 pick. top 5 pick will be slightly better.
Top guy may be headed to ss status. Generals may be team to watch in 2026-2027.
Generals?
The Washington Generals were created in 1952 by Louis “Red” Klotz at the request of Abe Saperstein. The Generals were the perennial, intentional losing rivals to the Harlem Globetrotters for over six decades. While serving as the ultimate “lovable losers” to showcase Globetrotter tricks, the team was founded to play serious basketball, losing over 17,000 games but winning only once in 1971.
Amazing. Thank you.
Pat and Co have been successful when drafting early, this pick will likely help the team in the future.
They still need a superstar, so unless they land a player who can develop into Giannis, Jokic, or the like with this pick, it still won’t move the needle long term to fight the ship.
One ss won’t do it either, especially if Herro, Ware, Jaquez draft picks/pick swaps and Spo’s first born are required to consumate the deal.
I indicated that they need to draft a Super Star. Obviously if they gut the roster, a player like Giannis won’t cut it.
As expected. Now it is entirely possible that we get a player who is better than Bam, Ware, and Herro, and that ain’t bad. Or, used in a trade for a star.
Exactly what Riley is thinking. I feel another disappointing season of chasing windmills and blowing smoke around the corner.