These Miami Heat Draft Picks Never Played in the NBA

The Miami Heat have been one of the most successful and consistent teams in the NBA this century, securing three championships and making the playoffs in 23 out of the past 29 seasons. While they've had star players like Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and Jimmy Butler, their success can largely be attributed to their exceptional player development. The team has a track record of maximizing their draft picks with their recent selections, Jaime Jaquez and Nikola Jovic, already making significant contributions.

Looking back at the 2011 NBA Draft, all of Miami's draft choices including Bojan Bogdanovic (2011) and Josh Richardson (2015) have played at least 59 games in the league. Moreover the Heat have played a role in helping numerous undrafted players, such as Max Strus and Duncan Robinson improve their skills and become regulars in the NBA. However even the Heat have had their share of notable draft blunders.

Now let's take a closer look at Miami's six most recent draft picks who never got to play in an NBA game.

Da'Sean Butler (2010)

During the 2010 NBA Draft, the Miami Heat had four picks in the round but traded one to the Oklahoma City Thunder. Their first two picks, Dexter Pittman and Jarvis Varnado, combined to play 87 games in the league while their third pick, Da'Sean Butler, never played at all. Butler, a 6 foot 7 forward from Newark, New Jersey, had an impressive college career at West Virginia University with an average of 17.2 points, 6.2 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game in the 2009-10 season. After being released by the Heat, he signed with the San Antonio Spurs and played for their G League team in Austin. He also had professional stints in Belgium, France, Germany and Israel and remains involved in basketball through coaching positions. Butler has served as an assistant coach for the G Leagues College Park Skyhawks, West Virginia University and recently joined the Boston Celtics as an assistant coach.

Robert Dozier (2009)

In the 2009 NBA Draft, the Miami Heat chose forward Robert Dozier from the University of Memphis as the 60th overall pick. Like Butler, Dozier had a successful journey playing in countries such as Greece, France, Japan and the Philippines. He clinched the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) championship and earned the Bobby Parks PBA Best Import of the Conference Award in 2013 while representing the Alaska Aces. His latest appearance was with the 3 Headed Monsters team in the BIG3 league.

After not securing a contract with the Heat, Dozier spent seasons in Greece and France, but he did take part in the NBA Summer League with Miami in 2012. He inked a deal with the team in September of that year only to be released less than a month later.

Corey Brewer (1998)

In the 1998 draft, Miami selected Corey Brewer as their only pick, taking him 51st overall. The 6-foot 2-inch guard from Arkansas played two seasons at the University of Oklahoma, averaging 19.2 points, 5.1 rebounds and 3.4 assists in 63 games. After his time with the Grand Rapids Hoops in the Continental Basketball Association (CBA), Miami signed Brewer but released him within a month. He went on to spend about 10 years playing basketball internationally in countries such as Spain, Italy, Greece, Belgium and Croatia.

Mark Sanford (1997)

In the NBA Draft held in 1997, Miami selected Mark Sanford, a forward standing 6 feet 9 inches tall from the University of Washington as their second overall pick. Sanford was named First Team All Pac 10 twice averaging 16.1 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game over three seasons at Washington. He made headlines by being the only player to leave the school early for the NBA Draft. Unfortunately, the Heat released Sanford during training camp prior to the 1997 98 season. In 2002, he signed with the New Jersey Nets, but never got to play a game for them. Sanford spent years playing basketball overseas before transitioning into a role as a development coach with the Memphis Grizzlies.

George Banks (1995)

In the 1995 NBA draft the Miami Heat made a smart move by selecting Kurt Thomas as their first pick. Thomas had a lengthy career spanning more than 1,100 regular season games across nine different teams. With their second pick at 46th overall Miami went for forward George Banks hailing from the University of Texas El Paso UTEP. During his two years at UTEP Banks averaged 11.7 points and 8.4 rebounds per game. He later played in the Continental Basketball Association CBA and also joined teams in Australia, Israel, Venezuela and Turkey.

George Ackles (1991)

George Ackles has the distinction of being the first player picked by Miami who never played in an NBA game. With a height of 6 feet 9 inches and originally from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Ackles recorded an average of 6.9 points and 5.2 rebounds over his two years at UNLV. Although he didn't reach the league, he had a commendable career playing for different international teams from 1991 to 2002.