Miami Heat lose the lottery, stuck at pick 13 again

The Miami Heat have never, in the history of the franchise, moved up in the NBA draft lottery. Heat fans once again watched the ping pong balls bounce without any luck falling Miami’s way. The Heat only had a 4.7% chance of moving up in 2026 and a 92.9% chance of landing the 13th overall pick.

The ping pong balls followed the path of theoretical probability and landed the Heat the 13th overall pick on May 10, 2026, in Chicago. The fan base will have to wait another year to get a top pick. The organization has no appetite for tanking. The new anti-tanking rules will help their cause, in theory, in future seasons as they attempt to land a franchise-changing talent at the top of the draft.

The Heat will have many options to choose from come draft time on Tuesday, June 23rd, in Brooklyn. That includes the ability to package two first-round picks to go whale hunting for another star-level player.

Miami Heat NBA Draft Lottery odds:

No. 1 pick — 1%
No. 2 pick — 1.1%
No. 3 pick — 1.2%
No. 4 pick — 1.4%
No. 13 pick — 92.9%
No. 14 pick — 2.3% pic.twitter.com/qfM5WiYICV
— SleeperHeat (@SleeperHeat) May 9, 2026

Heat Culture and Draft Success

There will be plenty of talent available if Miami decides to keep the selection as well. The Heat have historically drafted very well in the late lottery or later. Compared to many franchises around the NBA, Miami has consistently found value outside the top 10. Here are their most recent picks:

2025 | Kasparas Jakučionis | 20th

Mar 25, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Miami Heat guard Kasparas Jakucionis (25) brings the ball up court in the first quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Rocket Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images | David Richard-Imagn Images

2024 | Kel'el Ware | 15th

2023 | Jaime Jaquez Jr. | 18th

2022 | Nikola Jović | 27th

Niko Jovi — Jan 31, 2026; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Heat forward Nikola Jovic (5) brings the ball up the court as Chicago Bulls center Lachlan Olbrich (47) follows on the play during the second half at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images | Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

The Heat typically find prospects that fit the culture of the organization. They squeeze the most out of their young players. Those players typically outperform their draft position. Three out of the four players above have already outplayed their slot. Jovic is the only one that has not lived up to his potential to this point.

What Miami Needs at No. 13

This draft, the front office needs to find another playmaker, ideally with functional size. This could be a guard or wing player. This must be the priority. Miami needs someone who can create their own offense and pass well enough to negate defensive counters. The bonus is if they can blossom into a two-way impact player.

The fan base is split on the type of prospect the Heat should draft. Miami is not afraid to take an older instant-impact player such as Yaxel Lendeborg, who showed in college that he still has upside left to discover in his game.

The other side of the fan base wants a high-upside swing that could net Miami a mid-first-round superstar. There are a lot of young players that could fit this bill at pick 13.

Labaron Philon could be another ball-handling guard that fits the bill because of his size and playmaking ability. He may be the lone point guard in Miami’s range that checks those boxes.

The rest of the options lean more toward wings. Cam Carr brings explosive athletic upside. Tounde Yessoufou offers physical scoring ability on the wing. Daylin Swain gives Miami another versatile defender with room to grow offensively.

Whether Miami swings for upside or immediate impact, the 13th pick could shape the next era of Heat basketball. Here is what the Miami Heat big board could look like and an article breaking down the wings in Miami’s range.

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