Nearly every collegiate or high school player entering the NBA draft has a preferred team or city in mind, whether it’s their hometown franchise or the team they idolized as a kid. Interestingly, Devin Booker was no exception—he had his heart set on being drafted by the Miami Heat.
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Recently, Booker appeared on his fellow league All-Star and friend, D’Angelo Russell’s Backyard podcast and revealed the Heat as his franchise choice to get drafted by.
“That’s what I was hoping. Cause Miami was my best workout. And then I remember, Pat Riley came in and did an interview. He was like, ‘We’re looking for a Klay Thompson type of player who needs to up our shooting.’ I just shot 40 in college, I’m like, ‘Oh yeah.’ I’m looking at spots right down their arena.”
Book says he was hoping Miami picked him on draft night pic.twitter.com/2ZBB3mL9G2
— cooper (@coopoorme) August 3, 2024
Players entering the draft are often invited to participate in team workouts, which offer a comprehensive evaluation opportunity. These sessions typically involve the team’s coaches, general manager, and occasionally the President of Basketball Operations, providing a thorough assessment of each prospect’s potential fit with the organization.
During this period, Booker was particularly optimistic about his prospects after impressing the Miami Heat’s executives with his performance. He also recalled how Pat Riley attended the workout and conducted an interview with him, which further heightened his hopes of joining the team.
Riley was clear about what the team was looking for; a spot-up shooter like Klay Thompson. And given that Booker shot an impressive 41.1% from beyond the arc but also boasted an impressive 47.0% from the field in college, he was confident that the Heat would go on to draft him in the days ahead.
‘D-Book’ might have gotten a bit too ahead of himself since he had already started looking at apartments and other real estate near the Heat’s arena. Unfortunately for Booker, Miami went with Justice Winslow instead of him.
A Kentucky college product, Booker wasn’t the only Wildcat to feature in the 2015 NBA draft. He witnessed three of his teammates getting drafted before him. The now Phoenix Suns guard had his hopes set on the Heat picking him up with their 10th overall pick.
The future Suns All-Star shooting guard saw his hopes of playing in South Beach shatter right then. But the four-time All-Star eventually had the last laugh. Winslow played a total of eight seasons in the NBA before switching leagues. Booker on the other hand went on to become one of the league’s premier shooting guards, making multiple All-Star appearances and All-NBA Teams as well.
