Why the Heat's future draft situation is scary even after Miami retained No. 10 pick

With the number of young, talented wings in this year's NBA Draft, the Miami Heat are undoubtedly excited that they retained their No. 10 pick and put off paying off the pick owed to the Philadelphia 76ers for at least another year.

Eventually, however, that shoe is going to drop. And when the Heat do convey that pick to the 76ers, things could get ugly for Miami. It's not the only first-round choice that the Heat currently owe to another team, after all. When Pat Riley acquired Goran Dragic from the Phoenix Suns, the Heat traded two future first rounders. Add it all up, and there could be a stretch in the near future where Miami has a Knicks-esque run of lack of first-round picks, as the Sun-Sentinel's Ira Winderman writes:

"Initially, those [Phoenix] picks were stipulated as a 2018 first-round pick that would be protected through the first seven selections of that draft, and an unprotected 2021 first-round pick.

"However, because of a rule that a team cannot deal consecutive future first-round picks, if the first-round pick due to the 76ers is not paid off next year and therefore becomes due to Philadelphia without protection in 2017, then the pick protected through No. 7 to Phoenix in 2018 would instead become due, unprotected, to the Suns in 2019.

"When counting the 2021 unprotected pick due to the Suns in the Dragic deal, it means the Heat must convey three future first-round picks to the 76ers/Suns in the six-year period between 2016 and 2021, with all possibly being unprotected."

One way or another, Miami has to pay off those three picks. But that's not to say that Riley and the Heat front office won't acquire picks to replenish the coffers. It does, however, put increased pressure on Miami to nail the picks it has for certain. Tomorrow never knows what it'll bring for the Heat's draft plans.

(h/t Sun-Sentinel)

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