Random drawing determines Heat will have 20th pick in 2025 Draft. Also, notes from Game 1 loss
The Miami Heat’s season is still going, but it has received further clarity on an important part of its upcoming season.
As the Heat spent Monday in Cleveland working to find solutions following its 121-100 loss to the Cavaliers on Sunday night at Rocket Arena in Game 1 of its first-round playoff series, the Heat learned it will have the 20th overall pick in the first round of the June 25 NBA Draft after a random drawing conducted Monday afternoon.
The drawing was needed to break a tie among the Golden State Warriors, Memphis Grizzlies and Milwaukee Bucks that all finished the regular season at 48-34. The results of the drawing to determine the order from 18th to 20th overall in the draft: No. 18 Grizzlies (to Washington Wizards), No. 19. Bucks (to Brooklyn Nets) and No. 20 Warriors (to Heat).
The drawings were conducted by NBA President of League Operations Byron Spruell at the NBA office in Secaucus, New Jersey. The tiebreaker process was overseen by Marc Dieli, a partner from the accounting firm of Ernst & Young.
The Heat will receive the Warriors’ first-round pick this year as part of the Jimmy 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.
During the past few years, the No. 20 pick in the NBA Draft has produced mixed results. The past 10 players who have been taken at No. 20 are Jaylon Tyson last year, Cam Whitmore in 2023, Malaki Branham in 2022, Jalen Johnson in 2021, Precious Achiuwa in 2020, Matisse Thybulle in 2019, Josh Okogie in 2018, Harry Giles III in 2017, Caris LeVert in 2016 and Delon Wright in 2015.
The Heat had a chance to have two first-round picks this year, but lost its own first-round selection when it defeated the Atlanta Hawks on Friday to become the first 10th-place team in either conference to make the playoffs from the play-in tournament.
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 Butler. The Heat’s pick that will be conveyed to the Thunder for the June draft will be at No. 15 overall.
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.
The Heat will enter the offseason with the ability to trade two first-round picks (Golden State’s 2025 pick at No. 20 overall 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.
The Heat’s last six first-round picks have been Kel’el Ware last year, Jaquez in 2023, Nikola Jovic in 2022, Achiuwa in 2020, Tyler Herro in 2019 and Bam Adebayo in 2017. Except for Achiuwa, all of those players are still on Miami’s roster.
THIS AND THAT
▪ Even after earning a 21-point win over the Heat on Sunday, Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson complimented the Heat following Game 1.
“One thing about the Heat is they make you play for 48 minutes,” Atkinson said, with the Eastern Conference’s eighth-seeded Heat cutting the deficit to seven points early in Sunday’s fourth quarter before the top-seeded Cavaliers pulled away. “I know that’s a cliche, but a lot of team’s don’t. With them, you cannot relax. I think this series, whatever happens, we’re going to get so much better playing these guys. … It’s going to be a battle, this series. I’ve got a ton of respect for that team over there.”
▪ Heat forward Nikola Jovic played the final 1:23 of Sunday’s blowout loss in Game 1, marking the first time he has played in a game since breaking his right hand on Feb. 23. Jovic air-balled a corner three-pointer on his only shot attempt of the night during his limited playing time.
Heat guard Pelle Larsson also played the final 1:23 of Sunday’s Game 1 defeat, marking the first he has played in a game since April 7 after spraining his right ankle during a weight-lifting session before the Heat’s April 9 loss to the Chicago Bulls. Larsson didn’t record any stats during his short stint on Sunday.
▪ The Heat took Monday off and will hold a practice on Tuesday in Cleveland before taking on the Cavaliers in Game 2 of their first-round playoff series at Rocket Arena (7:30 p.m., NBA TV and FanDuel Sports Network Sun).
Rozier will be listed as questionable for Game 2 after spraining his left ankle during an optional workout on Monday. Kevin Love remains away from the Heat because of personal reasons.
This story was originally published April 21, 2025 at 5:12 PM.
