The 5 Best Second-Round Picks in Miami Heat History
The Miami Heat are among the most respected organizations in the NBA. They have won three championships and made the playoffs in 24 of 36 seasons since joining the league as an expansion franchise in the 1988-89 season. Much of the Heat's success can be attributed to drafting and player development. Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo, two of the leading scorers for Miami in 2023-24, were drafted by the Heat in the first round of the NBA Draft. Miami's other notable draft picks include Dwyane Wade, Glen Rice, Caron Butler, and Rony Seikaly.
However, each of the aforementioned players were selected in the first of the two-round NBA Draft. While Miami hasn't been quite as successful at developing second-round picks (eight have never played a game in the NBA), they have drafted a handful of players in that second round that have gone on to have solid NBA careers.
Below is a look at five of the best second-round picks in Heat franchise history.
Josh Richardson
Josh Richardson is Miami's all-time leader in points per game (PPG) among second-round picks. Selected by the Heat 40th overall in the 2015 NBA Draft out of the University of Tennessee, Richardson averaged 11.8 PPG in five seasons in Miami, including a career-best 16.6 PPG in 2018-19. He finished 16th in voting for the Most Improved Player that season. The 6-foot-5 shooting guard and small forward also averaged 3.1 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 1.1 steals per game through 302 regular season games with the Heat. He averaged 7.1 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.9 assists in 19 playoff games.
Miami traded Richardson to the Philadelphia 76ers as part of a four-team trade in July 2019. The Heat received Jimmy Butler and Meyers Leonard in the trade. Richardson played one season in Philadelphia and later played with the Dallas Mavericks, Boston Celtics, San Antonio Spurs, and New Orleans Pelicans. He returned to Miami in 2023-24, signing a two-year, $5.9 million contract with the team.
Sherman Douglas
Miami made great use of one of its two second-round picks in the 1989 NBA Draft, selecting Syracuse point guard Sherman Douglas with the first pick in the second round, 28th overall. Douglas made an immediate impact in Miami, averaging 14.3 points, 7.6 assists, 2.5 rebounds, and 1.8 steals per game as a rookie, earning a spot on the All-Rookie team. Known as "The General," Douglas averaged a career-high 18.5 PPG in his second season in Miami, but played just five games with the team the following season before the Heat traded him to the Celtics for Brian Shaw.
Douglas averaged 11.1 points, 6.8 assists, and 2.2 rebounds in five seasons with the Celtics and later played for the New Jersey Nets, Milwaukee Bucks, and Los Angeles Clippers. He retired following the 2000-01 season.
Rasual Butler
A 6-foot-7 shooting guard and small forward from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Rasual Butler averaged 6.9 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 1 assist per game in three seasons with Miami. The 13-year NBA veteran played for eight different teams and had his best stint with the New Orleans Hornets, averaging 9.1 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 0.7 assists per game in 293 regular season games through four seasons.
Miami selected Butler 53rd overall in the 2002 NBA Draft after he averaged at least 20 PPG in each of his last two seasons at La Salle. The organization dealt him to the Hornets in 2005 as part of a five-team trade. A solid three-point shooter, Butler finished among the top-20 in three-point field goals in 2006-07 and 2009-10 and is 28th all-time in career three-point percentage in the NBA playoffs (41.7).
Eddie House
Miami didn't have a first-round pick in the 2000 NBA Draft but made good with its first of two second-round picks, drafting 6-foot-1 guard Eddie House out of Arizona State with the 37th overall pick. A versatile bench player, House played four seasons in two stints with Miami and averaged 6.8 points, 1.5 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game.
House played for eight other teams, including the Celtics and Phoenix Suns, in his 11-year career. He finished top-15 in voting for Sixth Man of the Year in 2005-06 and 2008-09.
Grant Long
Grant Long, selected by the Heat 33rd overall in its first NBA Draft in 1988, played 1,003 career games, more than any other player drafted by Miami in its first seven drafts. A 6-foot-8 power forward from Wayne, Michigan, Long averaged 11.6 points, 7 rebounds, and 2.1 assists in seven seasons with the Heat. He had his best season in 1991-92, finishing eighth in Most Improved Player voting after averaging 14.8 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game.
Miami traded Long, Steve Smith, and a second-round pick to the Atlanta Hawks in November 1994 for Kevin Willis and a first-round pick. Long played three seasons in Atlanta and later played for the Vancouver/Memphis Grizzlies, Detroit Pistons, and Celtics before retiring following the 2002-03 season.