NBA Draft tracker: Heat selects Indiana center Ware with first-round pick

Welcome to NBA Draft night!

The Miami Heat enters the first round of the NBA Draft today (8 p.m., ABC and ESPN) with the 15th overall pick.

The Heat also holds the 13th selection of the second round — the 43rd overall pick of the draft — on Thursday (4 p.m., ESPN), as the second round of the two-round draft will be held on its own day this year for the first time in NBA history at ESPN’s Seaport District Studios in New York.

It has already been a newsy Heat day, with league sources indicating today that there have been discussions between the Heat and All-Star center Bam Adebayo regarding a three-year maximum contract extension worth $166 million.

What will transpire tonight in the first round of the draft for the Heat? We’ll have live updates for you here.

9:42 p.m.: The Heat drafted Indiana center Kel’el Ware, who averaged 15.9 points, 9.9 rebounds and 1.9 blocks in 30 games (all starts) at Indiana last season while averaging 32.2 minutes per game.

Before his single season at Indiana, he played one year at Oregon, averaging 6.6 points and 4.1 rebounds in 35 games and four starts and 15.8 minutes per game.

“The biggest jump Ware made from the time he was at Oregon to the time he was at Indiana was how much harder he plays now,” ESPN’s Jay Bilas said. “The question at Oregon was his motor. His motor revved really high at Indiana.

“He’s long armed, super athletic. He became a big-time rebounder. He became an improved shooter. Still think he needs to get stronger in his lower body. At the offensive end, he’s a lob threat. Talented player who’s continuing to get better and has great upside.”

He also has a 7-5 wing span.

The 7-0 foot center is 32 for 95 (32.7 percent) in two seasons on three-pointers but shot much better on threes last season (42.5 percent on 40 attempts).

Remember, coach Erik Spoelstra traditionally likes playing a power rotation player with consistent range alongside Bam Adebayo. So for those two to play a lot together, Ware will need to need to prove he can shoot with range. Wade on Thursday spoke of playing at center while Adebayo plays power forward.

“He has improved that shot - 17 of 40 last year on threes,” Bilas said of Ware.

ESPN’s Jonathan Givony cited Ware’s “mobile ability to stretch the floor and protect the rim.”

ESPN’s Bobby Marks said that Ware - if a veteran free agent - would be the third or fourth best center in free agency this year.

Heat executive Adam Simon said of Ware’s offensive game: At Indiana, “a lot of it was in the post; a lot was lob threat options. He didn’t have a lot of [3 point] attempts - 40 - but he’s a threat [there]. We feel like his shot is good now. Obviously we are going to work on it with him to get it even better... You look at his stroke -- very fluid, very easy.”

9:30 p.m.: Providence guard Devin Carter, who played high school basketball at Doral Academy and is the son of former Miami Heat player and assistant coach Anthony Carter, was taken by the Sacramento Kings at No. 13 just before it was the Heat’s turn to pick.

Carter is the first player from a Miami-Dade County high school to be selected in the first round of the NBA Draft since Tim Hardaway Jr. was selected in the first round in 2013.

8:40 p.m.: The NBA Draft is underway.

The top five picks: The Atlanta Hawks selected French forward Zaccharie Risacher with the top pick, the Washington Wizards drafted French center Alex Sarr at No. 2, the Houston Rockets picked Kentucky guard Reed Sheppard at No. 3, the San Antonio Spurs selected UConn guard Stephon Castle at No. 4 and the Detroit Pistons drafted G League Ignite wing Ron Holland at No. 5.

7:45 p.m.: With the Portland Trail Blazers and Washington Wizards completing a trade just before the draft that saw the Trail Blazers moving the No. 14 pick in Wednesday’s first round to the Wizards as part of the deal, The Ringer updated its mock draft.

The latest Ringer mock draft has the Heat using the 15th pick to land Indiana center Kel’el Ware, writing: “Ware could be a rookie lob threat and rim protector in the mold of Dereck Lively II. But if Ware’s 3-pointer translates as well as it did during his sophomore year at Indiana, he could bring an added dimension to Miami’s defense next to Bam Adebayo.”

7 p.m.: Among the prospects projected to be drafted in the Heat’s range in the first round are UCLA center Adem Bona, Pittsburgh guard Carlton Carrington, Providence guard Devin Carter, Southern Cal guard Isaiah Collier, French forward Pacome Dadiet, Colorado forward Tristan Da Silva, Kentucky guard Rob Dillingham, Virginia wing Ryan Dunn, Purdue center Zach Edey, Duke center Kyle Filipowski, Kansas wing Johnny Furphy, Miami wing Kyshawn George, G League Ignite wing Ron Holland, Dayton center/forward DaRon Holmes II, Swedish wing Bobi Klintman, Marquette guard Tyler Kolek, Duke guard Jared McCain, Baylor center Yves Missi, Serbian guard Nikola Topic, French forward Tidjane Salaun, Creighton wing Baylor Scheierman, Illinois wing Terrence Shannon Jr., G League Ignite forward Tyler Smith, California wing Jaylon Tyson, Baylor wing Ja’Kobe Walter and Indiana center Kel’el Ware.

ESPN’s latest mock draft has the Heat selecting Carlton Carrington at No. 15, explaining the pick this way: “Rival teams expect the Heat to take a swing on a promising young guard, with Rob Dillingham, Isaiah Collier, Jared McCain and Carrington being among those mentioned most frequently.”

The Ringer’s latest mock draft has the Heat taking Dillingham at No. 15, noting that “Dillingham could go a lot higher than this, but the Heat could be one of his best possible fits. Dillingham’s dynamic scoring ability could be used in Miami.