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Miami Heat Move Up In Draft; Acquire Shabazz Napier

On June 27th, 2014, the Miami Heat traded the draft rights of P.J. Hairston and Semaj Christon, a 2019 second round draft pick (Jaylen Nowell) and cash considerations to the Charlotte Hornets for the draft rights of Shabazz Napier.

When the King tells you to do something, you do it or so the story went, when one LeBron James caused a stir on Twitter. The multi-time NBA MVP, made his feelings known that Shabazz Napier was the steal of the 2014 NBA Draft and his favorite player in the 2014 draft class.

No way u take another PG in the lottery before Napier.

— LeBron James (@KingJames)

April 8, 2014

My favorite player in the draft! #Napier

— LeBron James (@KingJames)

June 27, 2014

Napier was a two-time NCAA champion and was fresh off a season that saw him nominated as NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player after leading the UConn Huskies to a National Championship.

In a coincidence — or not depending on what you read — the Miami Heat were focused on taking Napier in the draft, but faced a tough road to acquiring Napier with the 26th pick in the draft. Knowing that there was a possibility of a rival team taking Napier, the Heat braintrust of Pat Riley and co. scoured the league for a chance to move up the draft. The problem was that Miami’s infatuation with Napier was public, damaging their leverage in any trade.

Eventually, the Heat found the Charlotte Hornets who were willing to move down in the draft to acquire a shooter in P.J. Hairston. Charlotte had the 24th overall selection and drafted Napier for Miami. For the deed, the Heat sent the Hornets their 26th pick as well as two second rounders in 2014 and 2019.

Hairston was a promising talent with a checkered past. A former University of North Carolina Tar Heel, Hairston had been suspended by the NCAA after he was arrested on a drug charge at a traffic stop in 2013. The car that Hairston drove was under the name of felon Haydn Patrick "Fats" Thomas.

The NCAA suspended Hairston — who led the team in scoring during the 2012-13 season — and North Carolina refused to apply for reinstatement. With no other options, Hairston turned to the NBA’s D-League, where he played for the Texas Legends during the 2013-14 season in what would have been his junior season in college. He played well, averaging 21.8 PPG while shooting nearly 36% from three in 26 games.

Charlotte had a need for perimeter shooting and Hairston fit the bill leading to his arrival as Charlotte’s second pick of the draft behind Indiana University’s Noah Vonleh.

Miami had hoped to keep LeBron James, but the former MVP decided to return home to join the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Heat were forced to pivot and rebuild on the fly. Though stars Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh committed to stay, James’ departure left a massive hole in Miami’s lineup.

Entering his first basketball action, Napier joined Miami for 2014 Summer League. Playing for both Heat Summer League entries in Orlando and Las Vegas, Napier saw action in nine games. Napier had a rough performance, scoring 9.7 PPG on 27.5% shooting while having 3.8 assists per game versus 4.2 turnovers per game.

In a post-Lebron world, Miami got off to a 5-2 start after seven games. Injuries would derail their season. Wade missed 20 games and Bosh missed nearly half of the year after being diagnosed with a blood clot on his lung. Without Bosh in the latter half of the season damaged Miami’s playoff hopes as the team missed out on the playoffs by one game with a 37-45 record.

Napier had an inconsistent rookie season. Though he had a spot in Miami’s rotation through the first 20 games, his playing time was a rollercoaster ride. Napier even spent time in the NBA's Developmental League with the Sioux Fall Skyforce, averaging 19.5 PPG on 41.9% from the field, 5.0 RPG and 3.8 APG in four games.

Napier’s season ended early, as he had surgery for a sports hernia. He ended up with 5.1 PPG, 2.2 RPG, 2.5 APG and 0.8 SPG in 51 games (10 starts) and 19.8 MPG.

After his inconsistent rookie campaign, Napier played on the Heat’s 2015 Summer League entries in Las Vegas and Orlando. Nappier appeared in one game in Orlando where he recorded 14 points, four rebounds and six assists in a little over 17 minutes. In Vegas, Napier made appearances in three games and struggled, averaging 18.0 PPG on 34.9% shooting, 3.0 RPG and 4.0 APG in 25.1 MPG.

Soon after Summer League, the Miami dealt Napier to the Orlando Magic for a conditional second round pick in 2016. Looking to avoid the luxury tax, Miami also had the goal of keeping roster space open for guards Tyler Johnson and Josh Richardson. Trading Napier for future considerations enabled the Heat to save $4.5 million in salary and luxury tax savings.

After the Hornets acquired Semaj Christon on draft night, they dealt his draft rights on the same day to the Oklahoma City Thunder for cash considerations.

It didn’t take long for Hairston to have another off the court issue. He was charged with assault and battery after getting into an altercation with a high school basketball player at the Durham YMCA.

Seen as a quality shooter, Hairston struggled in Charlotte’s Summer League appearance in Las Vegas. Hairston put up 18.3 PPG, but shot just 33% from the field and 34% from beyond the three-point line.

After adding Pacers guard Lance Stephenson in free agency, the Hornets were expected to build upon the previous season that saw them make the playoffs for the first time in four years. Charlotte went 4-15 in their first 19 games. The team was 10-24 when they went on a 12-3 run to wind up seventh in the East with a 22-27 record.

After 61 games, the Hornets were still seventh with a 28-33 mark. Their playoff hopes would come crashing down with a 5-16 finish that brought the team down to 33-49. Though Charlotte had managed to put together a solid, top-five defense, their offense was not up to task, finishing third-worst in offensive efficiency. A major problem was outside shooting for Charlotte. The team finished worst in the league in three-point shooting percentage (31.8%).

Hairston had some minor injuries, but for parts of the season found himself outside of Charlotte’s rotation. When he did play, Hairston was a mess, jacking up long distance threes regularly while converting on a very low rate (30.1%). This was a problem considering Charlotte brought Hairston in to space the floor and keep the defense honest. On defense, Hairston wasn’t much better. He failed many times to stick with his man and had a penchant for falling asleep off the ball.

Hairston also displayed immaturity, failing to adhere to the responsibilities of an NBA player. He was benched one night for missing a weight training session and benched another for missing a practice. Overall, Hairston appeared in 45 games during his rookie season and amassed 5.6 PPG, 2.0 RPG, 0.5 APG and 0.5 SPG in 15.3 MPG.

Going back to the drawing board, the Hornets got rid of Stephenson and acquired forward Nicolas Batum in separate trades. The franchise also picked up point guard Jeremy Lin in free agency and drafted big man Frank Kaminsky.

Hairston continued to find his name in the news. He was cited for speeding, driving with a revoked license, driving left of center and driving on expired tags. Hairston made five appearances in Orlando for Charlotte’s Summer League team. The 6′6″ wing produced 12.2 PPG, but was inefficient, shooting 29% from three and 33% overall.

Before the start of the 2015-16 season, the Hornets chose to decline Hairston’s team option for the 2016-17 season. This made the guard an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2016. Inconsistent play and behavior on and off the court were cited as major reasons for Charlotte choosing to decline the option.

Hairston was given a chance for some playing time after starter Michael Kidd-Gilchrist suffered a torn labrum in his left shoulder. With Kidd-Gilchrist out for the foreseeable future, Hairston started the first 43 games that he appeared in. Hairston made noticeable improvements defensively after the Hornets gave him the directive to focus specifically on guarding the top perimeter options of the opposition. Charlotte did well early on with Hairston on the floor as a starter, going 14-8 in their first 22 games.

Still, Hairston could not find his shot. He had a 31.1% three-point percentage after his 43 starts and shot just 36.3% overall. After Kidd-Gilchrist returned from injury, Hairston was benched. Before the trade deadline, Hairston was dealt to the Memphis Grizzlies in a three-team deal involving the Miami Heat. The trade sent Courtney Lee to Charlotte via Memphis. Charlotte was 27-26 at the time of the trade and looking to make a playoff push.

Hairston finished his time in Charlotte failing to provide the perimeter shot that he was touted for coming into the league. He appeared in 93 games, averaging 5.8 PPG, 2.4 RPG, 0.5 APG and 0.5 SPG. The Carolina product shot 34% from the field, 31% from three and 83% from the charity stripe in that time.

The 2019 second rounder that Charlotte acquired from Miami was dealt in February of 2015 by the Hornets to the Minnesota Timberwolves in a deal centered around Mo Williams. The pick ended up in the 43rd spot of the 2019 draft. The Wolves used the selection on University of Washington guard Jaylen Nowell.

Shabazz Napier on if he would have any impact on bringing LeBron James back to Miami (via Sun Sentinel):

“I don’t know if I’m bringing him back [to Miami]. I would love it. Me and LeBron’s relationship, he’s a great guy. I’ve been to his camps. Me and him chatted a few times at his camps.”

On his role when he starts in Miami:

“There’s always opportunity to do something great, and no matter if I was going to slide in as a starter or come off the bench, I’m still going to work hard. I’m going to compete. That’s who I am.”

On his mentality starting new in the NBA:

“The first thing that jumps off is the winning attitude. That’s one of the biggest things. When you compete at that high level, you want to win every single game. That winning attitude comes in the first day you arrive at that camp. On the first day you arrive to that organization, you want to work, and you want to prove that you can get back there.”

On having a chip on his shoulder (via ESPN):

“No, the chip never leaves my shoulder. It will never leave my shoulder. That’s what makes me who I am. And I was saying that not to belittle any other point guards. There’s a reason why they’re here. But I was just saying that because that’s who I am. I wouldn’t be Shabazz Napier if I wouldn’t have said that. I believe it, and I’m going to prove it.

“What I always learned was that whatever you put in is what you’re going to get out. If I don’t put in the work, it's not going to show. So there’s always a chip on my shoulder to prove to myself that I'm the best, and to do that, I’ve got to work hard.”

If he thinks LeBron will come back:

“I would hope so. He’s one of the best players in the world. So if me going there helps him come back, it just betters our chances of being a complete team.”

On a conversation he had with Pat Riley after a workout (via Miami Herald):

"[Riley] was just giving me a lot of advice about the NBA, and adjustments and understanding that when you come into this league, you’ve got to work at this to be the best, and that’s exactly what I want to be. He never sugarcoated anything. He just said you have to be ready to work at every opportunity whether I was with them or not. It was definitely something I cherished and appreciated. It was kind of buzzing around that I wasn’t going to last that long [in the draft], but he wanted to tell me the right things, and I was really appreciative of that.”

P.J. Hairston on what he told Hornets management about the off the court mistakes he made while in college (News & Observer via Charlotte Observer):

“There was nobody else to blame. I put myself in that situation, and I had to pay the consequence. It was up to me to turn it all around – that I was able to overcome what’s happened in the last 12 months.”

On playing in the D-League after he was banned from the NCAA:

“The D-League wasn’t my choice, but when I was there it was, ‘OK, this is your job now.’ I wasn’t playing against boys now; I was playing against men. I think that’s huge in getting me prepared for the NBA – playing against guys just as strong, just as athletic, just as quick as me.”

How he tightened up on the group of people that hang around him:

“I now have a smaller circle (of acquaintances), and I keep my family in that smaller circle.”

On his defense:

“I’m not a bad defender, but there are things I need to work on. On-the-ball defense is probably my weakest thing. But it’s not something I can’t fix.”

Miami Heat president of basketball operations Pat Riley on Shabazz Napier (via Heat.com):

“Shabazz Napier is a winner, he’s a two-time NCAA champion and he’s one of the elite players in college basketball. We feel very fortunate we were able to acquire him and we feel like he fits in extremely well. He has a high motor, high basketball IQ, is a great shooter and has great character.”

How Napier fits in coach Erik Spoelstra’s system (via Miami Herald):

“We’re very fortunate to have drafted Shabazz, and we feel very excited about him and what he can bring. He’s a two-time champion, high-motor guy, character guy, very quick, can shoot the ball, so he’s got a lot of qualities that fit with what [coach] Erik [Spoelstra] wants to do.”

How it was difficult to acquire Napier due to rivals knowing of Miami’s interest in the point guard:

“It’s very difficult when everyone knows you’re zeroing in on somebody.”

What the process is like trying to move up in the draft (via Palm Beach Post):

“It’s fun. It’s moving quick. You’ve got five guys working the phones and Adam (Simon) and Chet (Kammerer) and Erik (Spoelstra) and Andy (Elisburg) and Micky (Arison) and Nick (Arison) and everybody’s in this room talking to everybody on the phone. You feel like you’re on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange at that particular time. Plus people are asking for this and asking for that — two first-round picks. It’s pretty exciting at that time. That’s what the draft is about for a lot of people. But we wanted this player, and the closer we got to our pick, I fell more in love with him. So you don’t want to get left at the altar.”

On picking so late in the first round of the draft:

“When you’re picking 26th, you never know what’s going to be there for that standpoint. So from that standpoint, we feel very good about adding [Napier] to the roster.”

On Napier competing with backup point guard Norris Cole for minutes:

“He’s going to compete just like Norris. They’re both cut out of the same cloth. Mario [Chalmers] is a free agent, so we’ve got to deal with that, so we’ll have some depth there at that position.”

On Napier’s competitive mindset (via ESPN):

“He’s a very competitive person, and I think competitive without a huge ego, too. He’s a winner. He’s talented and he’s skilled. You just have to watch him play the game and you can see the competitive level we all like.”

On questions of whether Heat forward LeBron James’ interest in Napier influenced the Heat’s decision in drafting the point guard:

“I know LeBron tweeted something out in the NCAA [tournament] about him. Why not. If LeBron and I have the same taste in talent, so be it. But he didn’t call me on the phone, or he didn’t make a point to me about it.”

Charlotte Hornets general manager Rich Cho on acquiring P.J. Hairston (via Hornets.com):

“When we made the trade to move back a couple of spots, with all the intel we acquired, we felt that P.J. would be there at 26, so we got some additional assets. P.J. was one of the best shooters in the draft. We followed him for a long time and did a lot of background work on him. He had a great year in the D-League in Texas and is a guy that really fills a need for us. Another thing we wanted to come away with in the draft was shooting, and he provides that for us in a big way.”

On his confidence that Hairston would be available at the 26th spot of the draft (via Hornets.com):

“We were pretty confident. We felt that Miami — when they called us to trade up — wanted Napier from all the background work that we had done. The next pick, Houston, we felt that they weren’t going to take P.J. We felt like moving back two spots would be beneficial. We could pick up a couple of assets.”

On being aware of some of Hairston’s prior off the court troubles:

“We’re aware of all the issues. We had a good interview with him, he came here a couple times to work out and we're comfortable with the situation.”

Hornets head coach Steve Clifford on drafting Hairston despite concerns off the court (News & Observer via Charlotte Observer):

“There are concerns always when there have been things in the past, but we did a ton of intel on all of these guys. Not one guy making one call. If we weren’t comfortable he can be a dependable, efficient NBA player, we wouldn’t have taken him so high.”

On Hairston’s defense:

“That’s not his strength yet, but he certainly has toughness and physicality and instincts. So there’s no reason why he can’t be a good defender.”

Hairston’s coach at North Carolina Roy Williams on Hairston joining the Hornets (via Charlotte Observer):

“I am happy that he will still play in state and for another Tar Heel, Michael Jordan. Life has given him another opportunity and he will take great advantage of that chance.”

Related Tweets:

Miami! Joining the #Framily- just got my @Samsung tab from @Sprint! http://t.co/ETAG7w4KFF

— Shabazz Napier (@ShabazzNapier)

June 27, 2014

Image Credit:

P.J. Hairston via Sam Sharpe/USA Today Sports

Shabazz Napier via Getty Images/Mike Ehrmann

#Shabazz Napier #PJ Hairston #Semaj Christon #2014 #Heat #2014*15 Season #Jaylen Nowell #Hornets

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