Playoff-clinching win provides some clarity on Heat draft pick situation. Where do things stand?
The Miami Heat earned a playoff-clinching win in Atlanta on Friday, but lost its own first-round pick for this year's NBA Draft on the same night.
That's because the Heat owed a 2025 lottery-protected first-round selection to the Oklahoma City Thunder — a pick first sent out by Miami in the 2019 trade to acquire Jimmy Butler.
By clinching the Eastern Conference's No. 8 playoff seed and a first-round matchup against the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers with a 123-114 overtime win over the Atlanta Hawks on Friday night at State Farm Arena, the Heat will not be part of the May 12 NBA Draft Lottery and its first-round pick this year will go to the Thunder.
The Heat's pick that will be conveyed to the Thunder for the June 25 draft will be for the No. 15 selection.
If the Heat would have lost to the Hawks, it would have entered the draft lottery with the 11th lottery seed that comes with a 2 percent chance of landing the top pick and a 9.4 percent chance of snagging a top-four pick during next month's draft lottery.
With the Heat conveying the pick to the Thunder this year, it avoids owing a completely unprotected 2026 first-round pick to Oklahoma City. The fact that this year's selection will go to the Thunder also preserves the lottery protections on the 2027 first-round pick it owes to the Charlotte Hornets as part of last season's Terry Rozier trade, which would become a totally unprotected 2028 first-round selection if the pick is not conveyed to the Hornets in 2027.
While the Heat won't have its own first-round pick this year, it's still in position to make a selection in the first round. That's because the Heat will receive the Warriors' first-round pick this year as part of the Butler trade made in February.
The Heat was set to receive the Warriors' first-round pick this year as long as it fell between No. 11 and 30 overall, which it will after Golden State clinched a playoff spot through the play-in tournament.
The Warriors' first-round pick that the Heat will receive this year will be either 18th, 19th or 20th overall, with the order to be determined by a random drawing among the Warriors, Memphis Grizzlies and Milwaukee Bucks that all finished the regular season at 48-34. The random drawing will be held on Monday at 3 p.m.
With the Heat receiving further clarity on its draft pick situation on Friday, it will enter the offseason with the ability to trade two first-round picks (Golden State's 2025 pick and either its 2030 or 2031 pick) ahead of the June draft.
NBA teams are only allowed to trade picks up to seven drafts into the future and league rules prohibit teams from being without future first-round picks in consecutive years.
X-factors
The duo of Davion Mitchell and Haywood Highsmith provided important minutes off the Heat's bench in Friday's playoff-clinching win.
Mitchell spent a chunk of the game defending Hawks star guard Trae Young, limiting him to just two field-goal attempts while guarding him for six minutes of game clock, according to NBA tracking stats. Then Mitchell got hot in the clutch, scoring nine points on 3-of-4 shooting from three-point range in overtime after a shaky first half that included 0-of-4 shooting from the field.
'For him to struggle like that in the first half and then have that kind of fourth quarter and overtime really speaks to his competitive character,' Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said of Mitchell. 'He's got something inside of him and it brought out the best of him tonight. We needed every single bit of it.'
Highsmith totaled 12 points on 5-of-9 shooting from the field and 2-of-6 shooting on threes, 10 rebounds, three assists and two steals in 40 minutes off the bench Friday. His biggest basket of the night came on a one-handed tip-in to push the Heat's lead to three with 1:03 left in the fourth quarter.
'I mentioned it to the team afterwards that it was quietly — or not so quietly — one of his best games that he's had in a Miami Heat uniform,' Spoelstra said when asked about Highsmith. 'It was the hustle plays, the defense, all the intangibles, and then that one-handed put-back rebound. I mean, that kind of put everything kind of at ease. It was a one-point game and that just gave us a little bit more of a cushion.'
Mitchell and Highsmith played 36 minutes together on Friday, including all but 19 seconds of the fourth quarter and overtime period.s.
'They're being stars in their role and that's what we need them to do,' Heat center Bam Adebayo said of Mitchell and Highsmith. 'Obviously, you see Davion's offense, making shots, and H's offense. But the little things that they do throughout the game, that's what really gets us going, that's what really gets the group together and getting in a rhythm.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
23 minutes ago
- USA Today
Havlicek Stole the Pod 4: What the Boston Celtics can crib from the Thunder to get back to the finals with Clemente Almanza
Havlicek Stole the Pod 4: What the Boston Celtics can crib from the Thunder to get back to the finals with Clemente Almanza The Boston Celtics may not be in the 2025 NBA Finals, but both teams that are have ties to Massachusetts through players, coaches, and executives. What can the Indiana Pacers - Oklahoma City Thunder matchup on the league's biggest stage tell us about the future of the Celtics, what can Boston steal from these teams to get back to the finals in the near-term future, and what have we been hearing about their trade plans for this offseason? On this episode of "Havlicek Stole the Pod," host and Celtics Wire editor Justin Quinn sat down with OKC Thunder Wire editor Clemente Almanza to talk all things OKC-Pacers in the finals, the ties to the Celtics and the greater Boston area, and what the future holds for both the Cs and the Thunder. They also get up to speed on the news we are hearing around the Celtics regarding potential offseason moves and overseas signing targets, so be sure to tune in to the pod embedded below.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
"Guys trust me" - Tyrese Haliburton talks about the final moments of Pacers' shocking Game 1 win vs. Thunder
"Guys trust me" - Tyrese Haliburton talks about the final moments of Pacers' shocking Game 1 win vs. Thunder originally appeared on Basketball Network. There's a new king when it comes to clutch shotmaking and his name is Tyrese Haliburton. In Game 1 of the 2025 NBA Finals, he delivered his best one yet, sinking a jumper from the right wing with less than a second remaining to give the Indiana Pacers a stunning 111-110 win over the heavily favored Oklahoma City Thunder. Advertisement The game-winning basket was Hali's third in what has been a magical postseason for the Pacers. Seconds after his team broke up the Thunder's last offensive possession, Tyrese explained what went into their last offensive possession. Pacers didn't call a timeout As Aaron Nesmith hauled down the rebound after Shai Gilgeous-Alexander missed a midrange jumper, the Pacers had a chance to call a timeout to set up a play. However, Rick Carlisle opted to let his players, Hali in particular, take control of the game. "Coach trusts us in those moments to not call timeouts, trusts me in those moments. Guys trust me. And I'm just trying to make a play," Tyrese told Lisa Salters after the game. "So — man — basketball's fun, man. Winning is fun. That's a great win for us." Advertisement The Thunder still had one possession to alter the game's result. However, Myles Turner ruined OKC's plans by tipping the ball away — a play that wasn't lost on the All-Star guard. "Big-time play. Myles did a great job at the rim. They tried to do a pin-down to get him out of the action so they could throw the lob. Myles got around it; good tip," Hali said. While Haliburton had 14 points, 10 rebounds and six assists, five other Pacers scored in double-figures. Pascal Siakam led the team with 19, Turner had 15, Andrew Nembhard added 14, while Nesmith pitched in 10. Obi Toppin also came off the bench and scored 17 points. "It's a total team effort. We had so many guys chip in — Obi was huge off the bench, Myles in the fourth, Andrew Nembhard in the fourth. So many guys stepped up, and I'm just really proud of this group," the two-time All-Star said. "We just had to figure out how to win in so many different ways — all year, the past two years. There's so many weird, different ways, and we just figured it out. We're a resilient group. And I'm just really proud of this group." Advertisement Related: Fred VanVleet once revealed all the ways the Raptors tried to convince Kawhi Leonard to stay: "There is nothing more that we can do" Pacers are not fazed by the moment The Pacers are no strangers to making late-game comebacks. However, their latest escape act on Thursday was their most impressive, as it tied for the largest fourth-quarter comeback in the last half-century. Although many players contributed to the win, it was Hali's high-arcing jumper that ultimately secured the victory. "When I got off the bus, when I put on my shoes, I mean, there was never a disbelief as a group, honestly," Haliburton said. "They have a lot of confidence in me to make that shot. I don't know what you say about it, I just know that this group is a resilient group and we don't give up until there is zero on the clock." Advertisement Siakam chimed in, saying that when he handed the ball off to Tyrese as the seconds wound down, he had complete confidence in his guard to make the correct play. "I was just trying to look for him, find him. We trust him in those situations to make the right play. Today it was a shot, and he made it. But he can also make the pass — he can do anything. So I had 100 percent confidence in him," the All-Star forward said. Indiana drew first blood in the NBA Finals, an unexpected blow to OKC's seemingly impenetrable armor. With Game 2 looming, it will be interesting to see what the next page in this thrilling chapter holds. Related: "They teach you that lesson more than anybody else in the league the hard way" - Shai Gilgeous-Alexander reacts to shocking Game 1 loss vs. Pacers This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jun 6, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
"Can't say enough about his clutch gene" - Stephen A. Smith calls Tyrese Haliburton ‘the most clutch player we've seen in the postseason era
"Can't say enough about his clutch gene" - Stephen A. Smith calls Tyrese Haliburton 'the most clutch player we've seen in the postseason era originally appeared on Basketball Network. For most players, hitting even one or two clutch buckets in a single postseason is enough to earn widespread praise. But for Tyrese Haliburton, clutch shots have become a defining trait. Whenever the ball is in his hands during the dying seconds, it feels almost inevitable that he'll lift his Indiana Pacers to victory - regardless of the opponent. Advertisement After knocking game-winning or game-tying buckets in the final five seconds of the Pacers' first three playoff series, the two-time All-Star did it again on Thursday night, this time on the grandest stage. He spearheaded Indiana's miraculous 15-point fourth-quarter comeback against the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 1 of the NBA Finals, prompting even Stephen A. Smith to acknowledge and appreciate his clutch gene. Tyrese Haliburton delivered when it mattered the most For much of the night, it seemed like OKC had complete control over the series opener. They led nearly for the entire contest, with the only time they trailed being the final 0.3 seconds of the game. Moreover, the Thunder looked dominant, never looking to give away their momentum, even when the Pacers kept making small scoring runs midway in the contest. Advertisement With no Pacer reaching the 20-point mark, it looked like nobody was in rhythm to trouble OKC's defense. However, Andrew Nembhard and Myles Turner scoring eight points each in the final quarter set the stage perfectly for Haliburton to hammer the final knock. With less than 12 seconds on the clock, the Pacers refused to call a timeout and let Tyrese run the ball down the court to knock the game-winner despite him shooting 5-of-12 from the field before that attempt. OKC had practically no time left to take a decent shot, and the home crowd evidently went silent after the shocking loss. Addressing Tyrese's heroics, Stephen A. praised Tyrese's confidence to be fearless and rise in the most pressure moments, overlooking how much he had struggled in the rest of the game. "A closer. I feel he's one of the most clutch players we have ever seen in the postseason era. He's been spectacular to watch. He was getting thoroughly outplayed for three and a half quarters and he appeared to be a no-show. We were looking at him and wondering what the hell was going on. And this brother really, really showed up to hit the game-winning shot with 0.3 seconds left. You can't say enough about his clutch gene, he has the ice in his veins, the ability to perform under pressure," Smith said. "He deserves all the credit in the world for that." Tyrese has put the Thunder under incredible pressure Now, after such a heartbreaking collapse, the Thunder are left reeling. They know now that the Pacers are never out of the game, no matter how big a lead they have. Indiana's collective grit and grind mentality has proven time and again that its strength lies in relentless teamwork and trust. For Gilgeous Alexander and the Thunder, the pressure has only mounted after surrendering a game they all but had in the bag. Advertisement That being said, the question now remains if Tyrese has hampered the Thunder's morale so viciously that they won't even be able to bounce back or coach Mark Diagneault's team has one last pish of dominance still left in their tank. Related: "Guys trust me" - Tyrese Haliburton talks about the final moments of Pacers' shocking Game 1 win vs. Thunder This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jun 6, 2025, where it first appeared.
