In a story that Miami Heat fans might not want to hear, Phoenix Suns star Devin Booker was on Los Angeles Lakers guard D'Angelo Russell's show called “The Backyard” where he recalled almost being drafted by the three-time champions. Booker has become one of the league's top scorers which if developed in Miami, one has to wonder what could have been.
Booker recounts the draft process where the co-host asked the player if he knew he was always going to the Suns, but it wasn't the case as even Russell, who came out in the 2015 NBA Draft like Booker, said he even thought that the landing spot would be Miami.
The University of Kentucky product confirmed it, even saying the Heat were his “best workout” and the interview with President Pat Riley went well as they were looking for a player comparable to former Golden State Warriors and current Dallas Mavericks guard Klay Thompson. Booker would go as far as to say that he was “looking at spots right down there by the arena.”
“I thought I was going to Miami,” Booker said on Russell's show. “That’s where I was hoping. Miami was my best workout, and then I remember, I think Pat Riley came into [the room]. He did an interview and he’s like ‘We’re looking for a player like Klay Thompson, we need to up our shooting.’
“And I just shot 40 [percent on threes] in college,” Booker continued. “I’m like ‘oh yeah’, I’m looking at spots right down there by the arena. Draft is crazy, your life changes like that, you have no control over it really.”
Heat takes Justise Winslow instead of Devin Booker
As everybody knows by now, Booker would not end up with the Heat as they instead took Duke University's Justise Winslow with the 10th overall pick as Phoenix made the pick for their star at 13. According to Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald, Winslow had not met prior with the team as they didn't expect the prospect to be at their selection, even with Riley comparing him to such players as Caron Butler and Draymond Green.
“It reminds me a lot of what happened with Caron Butler,” Riley said after drafting Winslow in 2015. “Obviously, it was somewhat of a surprise…It’s a very positive pick for us. Justise is an incredible, very mature, young (at 19) player. I think anybody who has watched him play can see that he is not only athletic; he is a playmaker and a multi-position player. He can guard all four positions.”
“You saw something in the Finals this year that was a little different when you had a 6’7” forward [Draymond Green] playing center with four very versatile perimeter players around him. Justise is similar to Draymond Green in that way,” Riley continued.
Other regrets from Heat in draft despite relatively successful picks
The experiment with Winslow would not work out as in the five seasons with the Heat, he averaged 9.0 points and 5.4 rebounds starting in 105 games. He has bounced around other teams like the Memphis Grizzlies, the Los Angeles Clippers, the Portland Trail Blazers and was even with the Toronto Raptors G-League team last season.
As for Booker, he has made a huge mark in the NBA being a four-time All-Star, making an All-NBA first team once, and scoring at a high clip every season. This wouldn't be the only regret from fans of the Heat as another popular example is when the team picked Precious Achiuwa in the 2020 NBA Draft with the 20th overall pick where one pick after, the Philadelphia 76ers took star Tyrese Maxey, who even was on the record saying he thought he would play in South Beach.
Still, the Heat are known for having an eye for talent with their undrafted players and have been successful in the first rounds of recent drafts where they took cornerstones like Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro, Nikola Jovic, and just recently with Jaime Jaquez Jr. Time will tell if their most recent selection in Kel'el Ware will produce at a high level, but from the talent alone, Miami could have done it again as they look to improve after a second straight season finishing at the eighth seed.
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