Miami Heat

Heat Trade Shabazz Napier to Magic: Report

The Heat dwindled the roster down by moving Shabazz Napier in a trade on Sunday

The Miami Heat traded Shabazz Napier to the Orlando Magic for a second-round pick on Sunday, according to a report from Yahoo.

Napier was acquired by Miami during the 2014 NBA draft, and was looked at as a part of the future for the team. When Napier struggled to play consistent ball, Miami went out and acquired Goran Dragic. With the veteran now inked to a long-term deal, Napier became expendable on a team with several roster decisions to make.

Coming back from Orlando will be a protected second-round pick. Napier ended up only playing in Miami for one season, and cost the team multiple picks originally. When the Heat traded for Napier on draft night, they surrendered three picks and cash considerations.

In his lone season with the Heat, Napier provided multiple exciting moments. For a brief stretch, he was given a lot of playing time and was involved in some memorable clutch plays. The problem for Napier was an inability to sustain that production. After his brief moment of success, Napier was unable to provide Miami with sufficient defense or offense. This led to the young guard spending time in the NBA Developmental League.

Not only did Napier play in the D-League last year, but he also participated in the NBA Summer League recently. While with Miami's Summer League team, it appears that Napier caught Orlando's eye. Still only 24 years old, Napier could have a very productive future ahead of him. The opportunity was simply not going to be there in Miami anymore.

The Heat still need to make a few more roster decisions as the calendar inches closer to the regular season.

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