So much for former first-round pick Shabazz Napier being the future of the point guard position with the Miami Heat. A little over a year after trading up for him in the first round of the 2014 NBA draft, the Heat have reportedly traded the former NCAA Tournament hero to the Orlando Magic for a future second-round pick.
Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports was the first to report the trade.
The 24-year-old Napier averaged just 5.1 points in 51 games (10 starts) as a rookie. He added 2.2 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game while shooting just 38 percent from the field.
In Orlando, Napier will likely be a primary backup in a backcourt that consists of youngsters Victor Oladipo and Elfrid Payton. It’s going to be interesting to see just how much action he gets with the talent ahead of him on the depth chart.
That’s likely why Orlando yielded just a future second-round pick for the young point guard.
For the Heat, there wasn’t necessarily a need on the roster for Napier. However, it’s hard to believe that a second-rounder is all they could net for the former UConn star.
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