Heat Secure Perimeter Talent.
Miami Heat Acquire Ryan Conwell from Thunder After NBA Draft Pick, Boosting Perimeter Shooting.
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Key Points
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The Heat moved up from No. 41 to No. 37 to select Ryan Conwell, sending the 41st pick and cash to OKC; the No. 41 pick originally belonged to the Golden State Warriors and was acquired by Miami from Charlotte in a 2024 deal connected to the Terry Rozier gambling investigation.
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Conwell finished the 2025-26 season averaging 3.29 three-pointers per game, leading the ACC in threes per game and recording eight games with five or more 3-pointers.
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Throughout his college career, Conwell earned multiple honors: MVC Newcomer of the Year and All-MVC Second Team at Indiana State (2023-24); All-Big East Third Team at Xavier (2024-25); and All-ACC Second Team at Louisville (2025-26).
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As a sophomore at Indiana State, Conwell helped the Sycamores reach the NIT title game, highlighting his role in a standout early-career stretch before his final season at Louisville.
The Miami Heat used their only draft pick to move up and land Louisville guard Ryan Conwell on Thursday night. Oklahoma City selected Conwell at No. 37, then traded his rights to Miami for the No. 41 pick and cash, according to Sun-Sentinel.
The Heat entered the draft without a first-round pick after trading No. 13 to Milwaukee for Giannis Antetokounmpo earlier in the week. Pat Riley called Conwell a surgical addition, saying he "provides the gravity and spacing we need immediately."
Heat Trade Up Four Spots to Lock In Conwell
Miami sent the No. 41 pick and roughly $2.5 million in cash to Oklahoma City to move up to No. 37, per CBS Sports. The Heat needed a shooter badly. They had no first-round pick after going all-in on Giannis. This was their one shot.
Oklahoma City GM Sam Presti called it a clean deal. "Moving back four spots while adding cash and maintaining our flexibility fits our long-term asset management strategy," he said. OKC continues to collect picks and assets rather than push for immediate wins.
Conwell Led the ACC in Three-Pointers as a Senior
Conwell averaged 18.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 2.7 assists at Louisville in 2025-26, according to Card Chronicle. He led the ACC with 3.29 made three-pointers per game. He hit five or more threes in eight different games. He shot 34.5% from deep on 325 attempts.
He also shot 83.2% from the free-throw line and stands 6-foot-4, 215 pounds — a frame that fits Miami's wing-heavy system. Coach Pat Kelsey said, "Miami got a steal." ESPN's Jay Bilas noted that 3.29 threes per game against ACC defenses shows he can space the floor right away for Giannis and Bam Adebayo.
Four Colleges, Four Conferences, One Draft Pick
Conwell played at South Florida, Indiana State, Xavier, and Louisville — four schools in four years. At Indiana State, he won MVC Newcomer of the Year and helped the Sycamores reach the NIT title game. At Xavier, he earned All-Big East Third Team honors. He kept earning bigger honors at each stop, per Louisville Cardinal.
Conwell said the journey prepared him well. "I've seen every type of defense in four different conferences," he said at his post-draft press conference. "Coming to Miami, a place that values 'Heat Culture' and grit, feels like the culmination of everything I've worked for." NIL advocates point to him as a transfer portal success story.
Louisville Gets Its First Two-Pick Draft Since 2015
Conwell was not Louisville's only player drafted Thursday. The Cardinals had two players selected in 2026, their first multi-pick draft in 11 years, according to Card Chronicle. The last time Louisville placed two players in the same draft was 2015. The program has done it 22 times overall in its history.
The No. 41 pick Miami sent to OKC had its own backstory. It originally belonged to Golden State. Charlotte acquired it, then sent it to Miami in 2024 as part of the Terry Rozier trade — a deal later shadowed by a gambling investigation into Rozier, per Sun-Sentinel. By spending that pick on Conwell, Miami officially closed the book on the Rozier era.
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