6 First-Round Picks That Will Make Miami Heat Fans Shudder
The Miami Heat have won three NBA championships since joining the league in 1988-89 and drafted and developed several prominent players, including Dwyane Wade, Bam Adebayo, and Glen Rice. As good as the Heat’s track record is in player development, the organization has also missed on several first-round draft picks over the years.
Below are six of the Heat's biggest first-round busts.
Michael Beasley - 2nd Overall (2008)
An 11-year NBA veteran, Michael Beasley had a solid career but hardly lived up to the expectations of being the second overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft. After a standout freshman season at Kansas State, Beasley averaged 13.9 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 1 assist per game with the Heat in 2008-09, earning All-Rookie team distinction. He improved upon those numbers the following season, but was dealt to the Minnesota Timberwolves in July 2010 for a pair of second-round draft picks and cash. Beasley averaged 12.4 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game in 609 career regular season games.
Miami, with its highest pick in franchise history, passed over future NBA All-Stars Russell Westbrook, Kevin Love, and Brook Lopez. Even worse, Beasley ranks just 28th in win shares (15.6) among the 60 players selected in the 2008 NBA Draft.
Willie Burton - 9th Overall (1990)
After just its second season in the NBA, the Heat had an opportunity to build for long-term success with two selections in the top-15 picks of the 1990 NBA Draft. The team whiffed on both picks, selecting Willie Burton ninth overall and Dave Jamerson with the 15th pick. Miami traded Jamerson, along with Carl Herrera, to the Houston Rockets on draft night for Alec Kessler. Burton, a 6-foot-8 guard from Detroit, Michigan, played four seasons in Miami, averaging 10.1 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game.
The most disappointing thing about Burton is the regression in play from his rookie season. He made the 1990-91 NBA All-Rookie team after averaging 12 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game, but his scoring—and average minutes played—declined gradually in the following three years.
Justise Winslow - 10th Overall (2015)
A versatile 6-foot-6 guard from Houston, Texas, Justise Winslow had an up-and-down, five-year tenure with the Heat, averaging fewer than eight points in 2015-16 and 2017-18 and averaging a career-best 12.6 points in 2018-19. Miami traded Winslow to the Memphis Grizzlies as part of a three-team deal in February 2020. He last played in 2022-23 for the Portland Trail Blazers.
Myles Turner, a 6-foot-11 center who has twice led the league in blocks, was selected with the pick after Winslow in the 2015 NBA Draft. The Phoenix Suns drafted three-time All-Star Devin Booker with the 13th overall pick.
Harold Miner - 12th Overall (1992)
Harold Miner, the Heat's first pick, 12th overall, in the 1992 NBA Draft, lasted just four seasons in the NBA. A 6-foot-5 shooting guard, he averaged 26.3 points, 7 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game with USC in his draft year and had lofty expectations, earning the "Baby Jordan" nickname for his athleticism and scoring ability in college. Miner won the Slam Dunk Contest twice, but was not a productive scorer in the regular season, averaging just 9 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 1.2 assists in 200 career games.
Miami traded Miner to the Cleveland Cavaliers in June 1995 for a second-round draft pick, which they used to select George Banks. Eleven players selected after Miner in the 1992 Draft, including Doug Christie, Latrell Sprewell, and P.J. Brown, played at least 10 seasons in the NBA.
Khalid Reeves - 12th Overall (1994)
Miami missed again with the 12th overall pick in 1994, selecting 6-foot-3 point guard Khalid Reeves out of the University of Arizona. While a standout player in college, Reeves played just one season with the Heat, averaging 9.2 points, 4.3 assists, and 2.8 rebounds per game. Miami traded Reeves, Glen Rice, Matt Geiger, and a first-round pick in the 1996 NBA Draft to the Charlotte Hornets in exchange for Alonzo Mourning, Pete Myers, and LeRon Ellis.
Reeves played for six different teams in his six-year career before fading out of the league following the 1999-00 season. Jalen Rose, Eric Piatkowski, and Wesley Person all would have been better picks than Reeves. Rose, selected with the next pick, played 13 seasons and averaged more than 20 points a season three times.
Tim James - 25th Overall (1999)
While missing on a 25th overall selection isn't as bad as not getting value out of a top-10 pick, Miami missed badly by drafting Tim James in 1999. The 6-foot-7 small forward played in just four games as a rookie and that was enough for the Heat to realize he shouldn't be part of their plans for the future. James played just 43 career games in the NBA with the Heat, Charlotte Hornets, and Philadelphia 76ers.