Ashton Hagans drawing interest from Miami Heat

Though all five Kentucky Wildcats declared for the 2020 NBA Draft, it would be an absolute miracle if all five were somehow taken in the 60-pick event.

With Tyrese Maxey as the only lock, floor general and former point guard Ashton Hagans is now drawing interest as well.

Stock Risers’ Jake Weingarten confirmed “with several sources” that the Miami Heat have interest in Hagans. What level of interest is unknown, as Miami is void of a second-round pick and would either have to pray Hagans goes undrafted or trade back into the draft.

With a team like Golden State having two second-round picks, getting a selection late in the draft to solidify their claim to Hagans is certainly possible for Miami.

Hagans will be a fringe draftee, as he was left out in CBS Sports’ two-round mock draft released just over a week ago. Nick Richards, Immanuel Quickly and Maxey were all taken with the first two being second-round picks.

A defensive stalwart at Kentucky, Hagans was a pivotal part of the Wildcats’ success this past season. He averaged 11.5 points and 6.4 assists per game. Nearing two steals per game as well, Hagans’ defense is an attribute that should also be attractive for NBA teams.

What’s holding Hagans back is that he isn’t an over impressive shooter. At 6-3, he needs to improve his range as his defense on its own may not get him on a 15-man roster. His leadership and defense help him, and his offensive arsenal hurts him.

At the end of the day, Hagans has second-round value with even higher upside than that, and he should be picked up in the offseason if he isn’t taken on draft night.