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 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.
Bucks get Burries, Ament in lottery to kick off rebuild
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.
Nate Ament is joining the Bucks with Miami’s first-round pick from the Giannis Antetokounmpo trade.
(Michael Reaves via Getty Images)
A 6-10 forward with tremendous athleticism, Ament was a value at No. 13. He’s a 3-and-D wing who sometimes struggled with his shot (39.9% from field, 33.3% from 3) as a freshman, which could account for his fall out of the top 10.
But he has the tools to be an impact player on both sides of the floor who can fill up the box score. Ament averaged 16.7 points, 6.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1 steal and 0.6 blocks and could slot in as an immediate impact starter on Milwaukee’s front line.
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.
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