Southeast Notes: Heat, Draft, Bamba, Wiz

The Heat don’t have a selection in Thursday’s draft and the team isn’t expected to make major moves in an attempt to land a top pick, Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel relays.

“I think this is not a deep draft,” Heat vice president of player personnel Chet Kammerer said. “I kind of compare it to the college basketball season. This past year, there weren’t that many good teams. There were just a bunch of average or maybe slightly better. There were good teams but not great teams.”

Phoenix holds Miami’s first-rounder from the Goran Dragic deal and the team’s second-round pick was dealt to the Grizzlies in a 2016 trade that sent Chris Andersen to Memphis in order to save on the luxury tax.

Here’s more from the Southwest:

  • Outside of Jonathan Isaac, the Magic are not tied down to any player on the roster long-term, Jeremy Woo of Sports Illustrated writes. Orlando holds the No. 6 pick and Woo argues that Mohamed Bamba is an ideal selection given the team’s draft history.
  • The Hornets should be taking a long-term view in the upcoming draft and high-upside prospects like Kevin Knox or Shai Gilgeous-Alexander make sense at No. 11, Woo contends in the same piece. The scribe adds that if Charlotte selects a point guard in the first round, it could signal the end of the Kemba Walker era.
  • Depth has long been an issue for the Wizards, especially at the point guard position, and Candace Buckner of The Washington Post examines which prospects the team may consider at No. 15 if it looks to find a long-term backup to John Wall. Aaron Holiday, the brother of New Orleans point guard Jrue Holiday, is among the players Washington should consider, Buckner writes.
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