The Miami Heat selected Tennessee forward Nate Ament with the No. 13 pick in the NBA Draft Tuesday night.
But that’s a pick that belongs to Milwaukee, and Ament is slated to be a Buck.
The trade’s not official yet. But the Heat shipped the No. 13 pick as one of three first-round selections they traded to the Bucks in Monday’s blockbuster deal to acquire Giannis Antetokounmpo.
The Bucks received a haul from the Heat to part with the two-time MVP and Bobby Portis. In return, Milwaukee reportedly got All-Star guard Tyler Herro, center Kel’el Ware, forward Jaime Jaquez Jr., second-year guard Kasparas Jakučionis, one pick swap (2030) and a 2033 second-round selection in addition to the three first-round picks. The other two first-round picks will come in 2031 and 2033.
But the Bucks can start their rebuild immediately with Ament and Arizona guard Brayden Burries, whom they selected with their own first-round pick at No. 10.
A 6-4 guard, Burries is a three-level scorer who shot 49.1% from the field and 39.1% from 3 while averaging 16.1 points per game as a freshman. He’s a strong defender who averaged 1.5 steals for an Arizona team that earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament. He projects to pair with Herro in a promising Milwaukee backcourt.
Ware and Jacquez will be immediate impact players, and Jakučionis is a young guard with upside who Miami took at No. 20 in last year’s draft.
Parting with a franchise icon like Antetokounmpo is never easy. But the cupboard is far from bare in Milwaukee as the Bucks move into their post-Giannis era.
About the Author
