The Miami Heat may have got the better of the Golden State Warriors in Jimmy Butler's return game on Tuesday, but there's little doubt Mike Dunleavy Jr. and the front office would remain ecstatic with the early results of the blockbuster deal from early February.
There's still plenty to play out in regard to the trade, with the full evaluation unlikely to take place until after Butler leaves the Warriors and the careers of other players come to pass. There were five players involved in the initial trade, but that's set to increase when the 2025 NBA Draft takes place on June 25 at Barclays Center.
Warriors will almost certainly give up their first-round pick to the Heat
Despite back-to-back losses to start their six-game road-trip, Golden State still remain in a strong position to make the playoffs Doing so would cause them to relinquish their first-round pick to the Heat as part of the Butler trade, with the selection currently top 10 protected.
The pick is currently projected to land at 21, which would be a good result for the Warriors based on where they were standing when the actual trade went down. So who they potentially be giving up with that pick?
In the latest mock draft for Bleacher Report, Jonathan Wasserman has the Heat selecting Colorado State product Nique Clifford with the 21st pick.
"Clifford had come off as a prospect to watch this season based on his ability to play a Swiss Army knife role by finishing plays, passing, defending different spots and making enough open threes" Wasserman wrote. "But he quickly turned into a top-option skill player who can get his own shot or serve as the offense's playmaker."
The 6'6" wing was very impressive in a heart-breaking conclusion to the Rams' March Madness campaign, with Clifford going for 21 points, seven rebounds, six assists and two blocks before his team succumbed to a nail-biting 72-71 defeat.
Still, Wasserman has only compared Clifford to now Phoenix Suns forward Cody Martin. That's not necessarily a knock on Martin, but the Warriors won't be pulling their hair out at the prospect of giving up someone who's pro comp who averages 6.2 points and 3.7 rebounds while shooting 31.5% from beyond the arc for their career. Kevin O'Connor of Yahoo Sports is more complimentary in his mock draft comparisons, suggesting there is shades of Khris Middleton, Josh Hart and Desmond Bane.
Wherever the pick lands and whichever player the Heat choose, there will be plenty of interest from the Warrior side on how their career plays out, particularly in comparison to what Butler delivers over the next couple of years.