The Miami Heat were docked their next available second-rounder for negotiating with Kyle Lowry ahead of the free-agency period. The draft pick is conditional and may depend on whether the team makes the postseason in 2024.
The Heat took the high road in a statement regarding the forfeited draft pick while clinging to innocence: “While we disagree, we accept the League’s decision. We are moving on with our season.”
The eventual sign-and-trade deal sending Lowry from Toronto to Miami was completed on August 6. The league started the probe on August 7 and advanced it on November 12, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, and conducted “numerous interviews with team executives and player agents” to see if any illegal contact was made between teams.
The investigation concluded the Heat violated NBA rules by initiating free-agency discussions with Lowry ahead of the 6 p.m. negotiation window on August 2. The Chicago Bulls were also forced to forfeit their next available second-rounder for talking to Lonzo Ball prior to the free-agency period.
Due to the Chicago Bulls-Miami Heat free agency investigation, the league has issued a penalty of directing that each team’s next available second-round draft pick be forfeited.
The full statement from the league office reads: “The NBA announced today that the Chicago Bulls and Miami Heat each violated league rules governing the timing of this season’s free agency discussions and that the league has directed that each team’s next available second-round draft pick be forfeited. These determinations followed investigations into free agency discussions engaged in by the Bulls with respect to Lonzo Ball and by the Heat with respect to Kyle Lowry.”
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Heat Might Get Last Laugh
The NBA wants Miami to surrender a second-round pick, but the franchise might not have one until 2028. While the Heat do own a second-rounder in 2022, it is contingent upon a lot of things. For one, the pick would be coming over from either Philadelphia or Denver and could ultimately get conveyed to Houston. The pick revolves around a series of trades dating back to 2019. And Indiana owns Miami’s original second-rounder in 2022.
“No team in the NBA has less trade-eligible draft inventory than the Heat in the coming years. . . the Heat currently has only one pick that’s eligible to be traded in the next seven drafts — a 2024 second-rounder.” 😳
Via The Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson
The more likely scenario has the forfeited pick happening in 2028. There is a chance Miami has an outright second-rounder in 2024, but the team would have to finish 11th in the league or worse to keep it. So, yes, it’s very complicated. The folks at Real GM do a masterful job of breaking it all down. Give it a read.
Goran Dragic Headed to Mavericks?
Speculation has been ramping up about Goran Dragic heading to the Dallas Mavericks to team up with fellow Slovenian Luka Doncic. The 35-year-old point guard left the Toronto Raptors “indefinitely” as he deals with a personal matter. The two European stars have always dreamed of playing together, so the move would make sense.
Doncic on potential of Dragic playing for Dallas: “I don’t think we can say. We don’t want to get fined by the NBA.”
According to the Sun-Sentinel’s Ira Winderman, Dragic would slide in as a vital bench piece in Dallas – the role he thrived in for the Heat in recent years – while alternating at both the point and shooting guard spots. The only lingering issue would be the two sides facilitating a sign-and-trade since Toronto still controls his rights. Stay tuned.
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Miami Heat Respond to Forfeited Pick in Kyle Lowry Tampering Case