OKC Thunder Awaiting Fate of First-Round Pick From Miami

The Thunder will get a first rounder from the Heat at some point in the next two years, and the rest of this season looms large.

Feb 12, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Miami Heat guard Davion Mitchell (45) defends a drive by Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) during the first quarter at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images | Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

Oklahoma City has been at the top of the Western Conference for the past two seasons, and its impressive haul of draft picks should help it stay there.

Coming off a win in Boston against the defending champion Celtics, the Thunder are the first team in the West to clinch a playoff spot and have a hefty lead as the top seed in the conference. At 54-12, the Thunder have established themselves as one of the best teams in the league and are among the favorites to win their first NBA title.

While the Thunder are already set to be one of the best teams in the league for the foreseeable future, they have plenty of opportunities to get some more young help. Thanks to Sam Presti’s rebuilding prowess, the Thunder continue to own a plethora of future draft picks. While another unprotected pick from the LA Clippers is on its way to Oklahoma City and a top-six protected selection from the Philadelphia 76ers could also convey for 2025, no picks are juicier than the Thunder’s pick from the Miami Heat.

In 2025, the Thunder own the Heat’s lottery-protected pick, meaning the Heat will hold onto it if they miss the playoffs but give it to the Thunder if they have a successful play-in run. While only getting a pick if it lands at 15 or below isn’t exactly juicy, that pick would become unprotected in 2026 if Miami misses the playoffs this year.

Although the pick might just end up in the same range next year, there is a possibility that Miami has a significant dropoff or simply gets some lottery luck in 2026. Since trading Jimmy Butler to Golden State and getting back a package featuring Andrew Wiggins, the Heat have gone 4-12 and slipped from being in contention for the sixth seed to potentially being in danger of slipping to 10th.

Should Miami miss the playoffs this season, their pick wouldn’t be all that impressive, likely landing outside the top 10. That would mean the Heat might not add much of a difference-maker in the draft and run it back with the same squad next season. If the 4-12 pace was played out across a full 82 games, it would slot the Heat at roughly 21 wins next season. While the Heat will likely figure things out and not finish with 60+ losses next season, that is the caliber of team Oklahoma City could get an unprotected pick from.

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