One analyst believes the Miami Heat would select Wisconsin forward Sam Dekker in the 2015 NBA draft, if the team ends up with the No. 10 pick. The analyst, ESPN's Joe Goodman, sees Miami drafting Dekker to be a long-term complement to Heat center Hassan Whiteside.
Goodman published his latest mock draft on Monday. With the draft lottery a week away, his draft order is based on the record - from worst to best - each team had at the end of the regular season. Miami's 37-45 record gives it the 10th-best chance of winning the first overall pick, so Goodman has the Heat picking at No. 10. With that pick, his mock draft indicates Miami will look ahead to the future and go with Dekker.
"The Heat need to hit a home run here, and Dekker showed the potential with his play in the NCAA tournament. He's long, athletic and displayed a mental toughness with huge games on the sport's biggest stage," Goodman wrote Monday. "Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and Luol Deng aren't spring chickens. This team needs some fresh legs to go along with Hassan Whiteside."
Dekker, a 6-foot-9 junior, averaged 13.9 points and 5.5 rebounds in his 2014 campaign with the Badgers. He helped Wisconsin get as far as the National Championship game, where he recorded 12 points and eight rebounds, before losing to Duke.
Miami, of course, would surrender its first-round pick to the Philadelphia 76ers if the selection falls outside of the top 10. The chances of that happening are nine percent.
Two other things for Miami to watch: Whether the team exercises its option on forward Michael Beasley, and whether forward Luol Deng chooses to opt out. Decisions must be made on those fronts by the end of June.
