The Miami Heat made history Friday.
Since the 7-10 play-in format was implemented at the start of the 2020-21 season, teams who finished as the No. 10 seed during the regular season were 2-6 in those games.
Well, the Heat matched that win total themselves, becoming the first team in NBA History to win a pair of play-in games on the road to clinch the No. 8 seed in the East.
The Miami Heat entered the play-in with the likelihood of owning two picks ahead of the 2025 NBA Draft, which is nearly two months away. However, there were draft pick ramifications for making the playoffs for not only this year, but in future seasons.
Let’s go over them below!
2025:
- Heat do not own their own pick –> goes to Oklahoma City
- Miami owns Golden State’s first-round pick, which is top-10 protected
Ironically enough, both of these picks are linked to the same player.
Miami acquired Golden State’s first-rounder in the five-team Jimmy Butler trade. And ahead of the play-in, Miami owned its own draft pick. But since it was lottery-protected, they lost the right to keep it–conveying to Oklahoma City, the best team in the NBA.
Miami traded its 2023 first-round pick to the Clippers in the four-team deal that landed Jimmy Butler, once upon a time, in 2019. The pick had three years (2023-25) laced with protections before becoming a 2026 unprotected pick if the pick didn’t convey. Days later, the Clippers flipped that pick in the Paul George blockbuster that sent Shai Gilgeous-Alexander back to the Thunder.
2026:
- Heat officially has their own pick
Well, now it’s settled.
Miami eliminated the first two years of protections (2023-24) by sending KZ Okpala to Oklahoma City in 2022, but unresolved were the 2025 and 2026 seasons.
If the Heat missed the playoffs, they would’ve kept their pick and conveyed the 2025 pick to 2026 as an unprotected pick, like we mentioned above. By making the playoffs, they will own their 2026 first-round pick–which can be moved as a swap or an unprotected or on the night of the 2026 NBA Draft.
2027:
- Heat send lottery-protected pick to Charlotte
Ah, yes, let’s talk about the Terry Rozier trade!
Last January, Miami acquired Terry Rozier in exchange for Kyle Lowry and a lottery-protected first-round pick in 2027. Since the Heat made the playoffs this year, these protections remain unsettled. If they had missed the playoffs, this pick would’ve automatically conveyed to 2028 by virtue of the Stepien Rule, which says that first-round picks can’t be traded in consecutive seasons.
Thus, this pick won’t be settled until the 2026-27 season.
2028:
- Heat will own 2028 first-rounder if they make playoffs in 2026-27
2029-31:
- Miami still owns all three of its first-round picks in these seasons, with the 2029 only eligible to be traded as a swap right now.
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We aren’t there yet, but this will be a pivotal offseason for Miami as it transitions out of the Jimmy Butler build. There are several directions they can go–be it acquiring a star player or building through the draft, or a mix of both. How they draft over the next several seasons could directly affect the trajectory of the franchise. Miami has consistently nailed picks in the middle of the first-round and will be tasked with doing so again this year, whether their pick ends up being No. 18, 19 or 20.
What do you think about the Heat’s first-round pick situation? Let us know in the comments!
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NY got a scare from Det. pulled away in 4th. Pistons looking like the real deal good for them. getting to that east contender position in the near future.
Heat at least must take Cavs to 7 games after missing the opportunity to get that high draft pick. but team looks good. we’ll see after 2-3 games this first rd how good. i said earlier if Mia gets in playoffs and miss that pick, make the most of it and get to ecf! but then again if Heat will not win it all i want Cavs to get to finals and not Celts or NY. im still torn lol
Clearly, having the highest draft pick in 10 years would have been nice. But there are intriguing prospects in that 18-20 range that help the team. I’d prefer a backup big who can protect the paint, get rebounds, maybe block a shot, and throw down an occasional lob. This way, the Bam/Ware combo can stay on the floor for long stretches rather than staggering them so a center is always on the floor.
had thomas bryant he would of fit the bill.he was aproned out
Okay, I got it now – you take Bryant over Keshad, because that’s who you got for Bryant. Me? I take Keshad.
Bryant not a good defender. Nice guy. Heat need someone with Jovic body and Jokic attitude. A good combo PF/C like Bobby Portis, Naz Reed or Santi Aldama would be great! There are a few good prospective PFs and Cs in the #12 – #25 range e.g., Newell, Wolf Fleming, Maluach and Queen.