Heat began hosting predraft workouts this week. A look at some prospects scheduled to take part

The Miami Heat’s season ended May 1, but the work hasn’t stopped for the organization’s scouting department ahead of the NBA Draft.

Since the men’s college basketball season ended in early April, Adam Simon and the Heat’s scouting department have traveled around the country and even overseas to put their eyes on different draft prospects. The last two months have included trips to Virginia to watch some college upperclassmen at the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament; Chicago to work the NBA Draft Combine, the G League Elite Camp and agency-run workouts; California for more agency-run workouts; and Europe to watch some international prospects.

“That led us back to Miami and so we’re going to spend the next month diving into all our intel and our reports and our information that we’ve received from different parts of the organization,” said Simon, who is the Heat’s vice president of basketball operations and assistant general manager. “Then we’ll have players come through here and we have workouts set up over the next three weeks.”

Those predraft workouts at Kaseya Center began this week and run up until a few days before the start of the two-round NBA Draft, which will span two days this year (first round on June 26 and second round on June 27). The Heat is slotted to pick at No. 15 in the first round and No. 43 in the second round of the 58-pick draft — not the usual 60 total selections because two picks were forfeited this year by other teams due to NBA violations.

Among the prospects who the Heat scheduled for predraft workouts in Miami are Providence guard Devin Carter, Indiana center Kel’el Ware, Southern Cal guard Isaiah Collier, Arizona forward Keshad Johnson and UConn guard Tristen Newton, according to league sources. Carter, Ware and Collier are among the potential first-round options for the Heat at pick No. 15, and Johnson and Newton are among the potential second-round options for the Heat at pick No. 43.

Carter, who is the son of former Heat player and assistant coach Anthony Carter, played high school basketball at Doral Academy. As a junior at Providence last season, the 22-year-old Carter (6-2 and 193 pounds) averaged 19.7 points, 8.7 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 1.8 steals and one block per game while shooting 47.3 percent from the field and 84 of 223 (37.7 percent) from three-point range.

“He brings quite a bit to the table defensively, has made strides as a shooter and plays with a nonstop motor, making him a particularly appealing choice for teams angling to compete sooner rather than later,” ESPN wrote about Carter in its latest mock draft that has him being taken by the Oklahoma City Thunder at pick No. 12.

Ware, who has drawn predraft comparisons to NBA players like Myles Turner and Jarrett Allen, stands at 7-feet and 230 pounds with a 7-foot-5 wingspan. He turned 20 in April, averaging 15.9 points, 9.9 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.9 blocks per game while shooting 58.6 percent from the field and 17 of 40 (42.5 percent) from three-point range as a sophomore at Indiana last season.

“He has elite physical tools and brings intriguing potential at 7-1 with his ability to stretch the floor and protect the rim,” ESPN wrote of Ware, projecting him to be selected by the Milwaukee Bucks at pick No. 23.

Collier, who was the No. 1-ranked recruit in the 2023 high school class, averaged 16.3 points, 2.9 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 1.5 steals per game while shooting 49 percent from the field and 27 of 80 (33.8 percent) from three-point range as a freshman at Southern Cal last season. Collier (6-3 and 205 pounds) turns 20 in October.

“Dynamic point guard built like a tank with the ability to control the game,” The Ringer wrote of Collier, giving him an NBA comparison of Tyreke Evans and Emmanuel Mudiay.

Johnson, who stands at 6-foot-6 and 224 pounds with a 6-foot-10 wingspan, averaged 11.2 points, 5.8 rebounds, 1.8 assists and one steal per game while shooting 52.6 percent from the field and 36 of 93 (38.7 percent) on threes as a senior at Arizona last season. Johnson turns 23 on June 23 and The Ringer picked former Heat forward Jae Crowder as his NBA comparison.

“Bulky forward who can fill in gaps on offense while providing upside as a defensive stopper,” The Ringer wrote of Johnson while projecting him to be a second-round selection.

Newton (6-3, 192 pounds), who turned 23 on April 26, averaged 15.1 points, 6.6 rebounds and 6.2 assists per game while shooting 41.5 percent from the field and 71 of 221 (32.1 percent) from behind the arc as a senior at UConn last season. The Ringer picked Heat guard Delon Wright as his NBA comparison.

“Glue guy who brings winning intangibles to the floor with a well-rounded skill set,” The Ringer wrote of Newton while also having him as a second-round pick in its mock draft.

While some have labeled it as a weak draft, Simon has a different view of this year’s class. With the Heat holding two picks in the NBA Draft later this month, the room to add up to three players on two-way contracts and the task of filling its summer league roster, Simon is intrigued by the depth of the 2024 draft class.

“I think you see some drafts where you say it’s a great draft because there are franchise players who are the very top. So maybe this year, that might not be the case,” Simon said. “But however, I think the draft is deep with a lot of good players. Even in years when the narrative has been the draft might not be as good as other years, if you look at it, there still ends up being All-Stars and very good players throughout that draft.

“So I think we have to approach it like, hey, regardless of what the thought is, we’re hoping to find the right players that eventually when developed and are with us can become good players for us.”