Dragic far surpasses draft odds
45th pick in 2008 develops into Heat’s best player in 2016.
Nearly every team passed on Goran Dragic in the 2008 draft, several twice and six even three times. But if we did it all over again nine years later, Dragic could be a top 10 pick.
HoopsHype did a redraft of 2008 and has Dragic, the Miami Heat’s point guard and best player this season, being selected No. 8 — ahead of 37 of the players who drafted before him.
Dragic was taken 45th by San Antonio, who traded him on draft night to Phoenix. The Heat acquired Dragic from the Suns in February 2015. Dragic, DeAndre Jordan and Luc Mbah a Moute are the only players taken in the second round of the Notable players chosen in the 2008 NBA Draft: Derrick Rose 1 1 Bulls Michael Beasley 1 2 Heat O.J. Mayo 1 3 Timberwolves Russell Westbrook 1 4 SuperSonics* Kevin Love 1 5 Grizzlies Roy Hibbert 1 17 Raptors Serge Ibaka 1 24 SuperSonics Mario Chalmers 2 34 Heat DeAndre Jordan 2 35 Clippers Patrick Ewing Jr. 2 43 Kings Goran Dragic 2 45 Spurs *The SuperSonics moved from Seattle to Oklahoma City and became the Thunder.
2008 draft who have played all nine of their professional seasons in the NBA.
Dragic, 31, led the Heat with 20.3 points, 5.8 assists and 33.7 minutes while shooting 47.6 percent this season. He was Miami’s most consistent player from start to finish and flourished as a leader guiding the Heat to a 30-11 record in the second half of the season.
He is expected to return as one of the foundational players as Miami looks to make another deep playoff run next season.
While nobody’s game was more underrated than Dragic’s in that class, the Heat took a player who was one of the biggest disappointments of the draft.
M i c h a e l B e a s l e y w a s d r a f t e d s e c o n d o v e r a l l behind Derrick Rose. But having played for five different teams, Beasley is listed as the 18th pick in the re-draft. Beasley was taken ahead of No. 4 Russell Westbrook, who is considered the best player in the class and the top pick nine years later, and No. 5 Kevin Love, who comes in at No. 2 in the re-draft.
Beasley lasted just two seasons in Miami before traded to free up cap space after the Heat acquired LeBron James and Chris Bosh. He returned for t wo more short stints with the Heat sandwiched around playing for the Shanghai Sharks and Shandong Golden Stars in China. He averaged 12.3 points in four years in Miami and spent this season in Milwaukee.
The Heat , t hough, go t a g re a t bargai n f or t hei r second-round pick, Mario Chalmers, who was taken 34th overall. Chalmers, who did not play last season after eight years in the league, is listed at No. 16 in the re-draft.
Chalmers played a little more than seven seasons in Miami, starting 383 games, and was the starting point guard for the Heat’s 2012 and 2013 title teams.