The Miami Heat have agreed to trade Shabazz Napier to the Orlando Magic in exchange for a future second round pick and, while the deal may not look like much at first glance, this trade could prove to be another shrewd move orchestrated by the Godfather himself, Pat Riley.
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In an effort to clean up its offseason roster, the Heat traded Napier to the Orlando Magic on Sunday for nearly nothing in return save closure. He averaged 18 points, six rebounds and five assists in his final collegiate season.
Yahoo! Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski first reported the news on July 26. LeBron famously called him the best point guard in the draft, and across the workouts and combines leading to the draft, Napier continued to impress.
A two-time NCAA Champion during his four-year career at UConn, Napier saw his draft stock rise as he led the Huskies to an improbable national championship in 2014. Napier’s contract for next season was worth $1.35 million.
With Napier’s impending departure, Miami’s point guard situation has changed drastically since it acquired Goran Dragic from the Phoenix Suns in February 2015. The Magic, who signed C.J.
The highlight of Napier’s rookie season came when he scored in double figures in six consecutive games from Nov. 16 to Nov. 25, the longest such streak by a Heat rookie since Michael Beasley did so in eight consecutive games from April 1, 2009 to April 15, 2009.
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In addition to those decisions, the Heat might also be weighing whether or not to keep second-round draft pick Josh Richardson, who performed well in the Orlando and Las Vegas summer leagues.
