With the NBA Draft quickly approaching starting next Wednesday and continuing on Thursday, it will be a busy couple of days for the Miami Heat as they look to hopefully bring in two crucial players for their future. However, there are also some names in the draft that the team should be best avoiding as we will talk about three still-talented young players.

The Heat hold the 15th overall pick in the first round and the 43rd selection in the second round where while some people argue the 2024 NBA Draft is the worst in years, there are still talented players available. Plus, Miami has been exceptional in selecting players, especially in the middle of the first round as past draftees in that range have been Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro, and most recently in Jaime Jaquez Jr. out of UCLA.

However, in terms of people the Heat should not draft, it could be a bevy of factors with one of them being fit, but in terms of needs this upcoming draft, they could use some backcourt depth or even size. With that being said, here are three players Miami should avoid this upcoming NBA Draft.

Purdue's Zach Edey

Edey is arguably the most polarizing player of this draft as while he was dominant in college with Purdue and won back to back Naismith Player of the Year awards, he is far from being a projected top five pick. In terms of the Heat, there was mention of the team needing size, but Edey would drastically make the Heat bulky as he stands at seven-foot, four-inches and weighing 300 pounds according to the NBA.

While there is no doubt that he gives the Heat pressure at the rim, a lofty presence in the paint, and a threat on screens from the jump, his fit in the NBA even besides the team is what has people questioning his status. With his slow pace, the question is can he adapt to the NBA style of pace being much more quicker.

Edey's fit with Miami is questionable

Especially with the Heat as head coach Erik Spoelstra values in his team playing fast as proven by the starting center being Bam Adebayo, who was first a power forward and has uncharacteristic measurements in terms of an old-fashioned player at the five. The fit could be a gamble, but he is on the workout list for the Heat as they could be thinking about it, plus he is projected to be in that range as said by ESPN's Jonathan Givony.

“Teams say Edey's range appears to be in the Nos. 9-19 range based on the workouts he has conducted and scheduled. He was with the Toronto Raptors this past week, will visit the Los Angeles Lakers, and is in the conversation at Memphis (9), Utah (10), Chicago (11), Oklahoma City (12), Portland (14) and Miami (15).”

“He sets wide, bruising screens at 7-foot-5, 298 pounds and is an outstanding mark rolling to the paint and catching everything thrown his way with his huge, magnetic hands and 7-foot-11 wingspan,” Givony said in Edey's scouting report. Purdue's small guards would often throw the ball up in the general vicinity of the rim under duress and let Edey go catch it. He understands the art of rescreening if his initial pick doesn't achieve the desired outcome, and has improved his ability to operate out of zoom actions/dribble-handoffs, catch-and-make decisions out of short rolls, or mix-in slips to keep defenses off-balance.”

USC's Bronny James

This could be a hypocritical choice since there was an article written before about how the Heat should draft USC guard Bronny James with the possibility to lure his father in LeBron James. However, it is looking more and more likely that attracting the all-time great to a team has been put to rest despite him saying in the past he wanted to play with his son before he retires.

Bronny's agent in Rich Paul did an interview with ESPN where he talked about the strategy in terms of the draft with the young star. He would shut down the claim that the current Los Angeles Lakers star wants to play with his son, saying that he is “off this idea.”

LeBron James “off the idea” of playing with his son

“LeBron is off this idea of having to play with Bronny,” Paul told ESPN. “If he does, he does. But if he doesn't, he doesn't. There's no deal made that it's guaranteed that if the Lakers draft Bronny at 55, he [LeBron] will re-sign. If that was the case, I would force them to take him at 17. We don't need leverage. The Lakers can draft Bronny and LeBron doesn't re-sign. LeBron is also not going to Phoenix for a minimum deal. We can squash that now.”

“There are other teams that love Bronny,” Paul continued. “For example, Minnesota, Dallas, Toronto. If it's not the Lakers, it will be someone else. Minnesota would love to get Bronny in, but I don't know who their owner is going to be. [Mavs GM] Nico Harrison is like an uncle to Bronny. If the Lakers don't take him at 55, Dallas would take him at 58 and give him a guaranteed deal. Masai [Ujiri, Raptors president,] loves him. They could take him without even seeing him at 31. Workouts aren't everything for these teams.”

So while a reunion between James and the Heat are next to none, drafting the 19-year old would mean getting a developmental piece and in hopes of molding into a star. It is up to Miami if they want to do that as there is still talent there, but besides the point, there could be other diamonds in the rough they can get with their second round pick.

Illinois' Terrence Shannon Jr.

The Illinois basketball star in Terrence Shannon Jr. has been through a lot off the basketball court as he was on trial for rape charges after turning himself in last December for a crime he allegedly committed in September of last year. Fast forward to the present where just last week, he was acquitted of all charges and is ramping up the process of being drafted in the upcoming draft.

Shannon Jr's stock has been rising

Shannon Jr.'s projection in the draft has been rising since the verdict was reached, but while he is a talented player, the fit is questionable with the Heat and the baggage he could bring might not be worth it for the team. According to Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo of ESPN in their mock draft, they talked about how there have been NBA team monitoring this situation.

“Shannon was acquitted last week and found not guilty of rape and sexual battery charges, a case NBA teams had been following closely,” the two wrote in their mock draft. “The clarity offered by the court ruling should put front offices and ownership groups at ease, and it reopens a path for Shannon back into the first round, where he will now conduct workouts for a handful of teams going into draft night.”

“It's quite possible Shannon hears his name called well before this pick at No. 27, with many teams in the top 25 expressing interest,” the two continued. “He has an opportunity to work his way up the board in the days to come. His athletic tools have always been NBA-caliber, but his development at Illinois into a more consistent two-way contributor helped raise the perception around his floor as a useful rotation player.”

In any sense, the Heat have some work to do, but the clock is ticking as the NBA Draft starts Wednesday, June 26 and continues on Thursday, June 27.