Could the Miami Heat be put in position to draft Duke standout Cameron Boozer?
Former NBA player Gilbert Arenas is the king of hot takes.
After his playing career ended, he's become one of the most popular player turned podcaster. He has a show that is on social media while also making appearances on several other programs.
With that said, Arenas is known for compiling "likes" and drawing attention because of his outspoken nature. So take whatever he says with a grain of salt, especially when it comes to his latest take.
He recently said the Miami Heat will receive a high pick in next month's NBA draft despite being among the teams with the lowest odds. The Heat have just a 4.8 percent chance of landing a top four pick.
And Arenas thinks that is exactly what will happen.
"Now, y'all get a lottery pick," Arenas said. "I can tell you this, what is Miami? A big city. they will get a top three pick."
The prediction is fine but things get a little shady when Arenas mentioned his reasoning. He stopped short of saying the Heat purposely missed the playoffs so they could remain in the draft lottery.
Arenas and former player Kenyon Martin both questioned the Heat refusing to bring back center Bam Adebayo into the game against the Charlotte Hornets in the Play-In Tournament. Adebayo never returned after sustaining a back injury in the first half.
Arenas and Martin also wondered why All-Star Norman Powell Jr., was coming off the bench in the season-ending defeat.
"Why would the best player come off the bench," Arenas said.
Arenas suggested the league can now find a way for the Heat to get a top pick. The first two selections will almost certainly be Kansas Jayhawks star Darryn Peterson and BYU Cougars freshman AJ Dybantsa in no particular order.
That leaves the Heat positioned to take Duke freshman Cameron Boozer. He is the son of former NBA player Carlos Boozer. The younger Boozer starred in high school in Miami before joining the Blue Devils.
Arenas felt that would make a better storyline.
"Where does Boozer live," Arenas said. "Y'all better stop playing with the business of basketball."
Of course, you can believe what you want. Arenas has a habit of making outlandish statements. Many have wondered about the validity of the draft lottery, with some questioning if it's rigged. The league is also under fire for teams tanking, thus the looming change in the way the draft order is completed.
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Shandel Richardson is the publisher of HeatRoundtable. He can be reached at shandelrich@gmail.com