"This," Adam Simon said, "is extremely unusual."
The Miami Heat vice president of basketball operations was talking about a predraft process that has featured minimal contact with prospects, no combine and pandemic precautions.
It is against that backdrop that the Heat have been working ahead of their No. 20 selection in next week's NBA draft — while also working in a vacuum.
Yet to be lifted by the league is the trade moratorium that has been in place since the league's March 11 coronavirus shutdown, one that continued through a resumption that saw the Heat advance to the NBA Finals.
By rule, with their 2021 first-round pick already dealt, the Heat have to exercise a selection in the first round on Nov. 18. But it is a pick that then could immediately be dealt.
As, all the while, uncertainty remains about potential trade partners.
And if, in fact, the Heat are looking to deal, it gets even more complicated with the three picks directly ahead of the Heat's already considered in play.
So how might it shake out next Wednesday? A one-week-out forecast:
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